Sample records for complex projective spaces

A Project Trades Model (PTM) is a collection of tools/simulations linked together to rapidly perform integrated system trade studies of performance, cost, risk, and mission effectiveness. An operating PTM captures the interactions between various targeted systems and subsystems through an exchange of computed variables of the constituent models. Selection and implementation of the order, method of interaction, model type, and envisioned operation of the ensemble of tools rpresents the key system engineering challenge of the approach. This paper describes an approach to building a PTM and using it to perform top-level system trades for a complexspace mission. In particular, the PTM discussed here is for a future Mars mission involving a large rover.

We present guidel!nes to reduce risk to an acceptable level when using complex devices in space applications. Application to Virtex 4 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) on Express Logistic Carrier (ELC) project is presented.

Study of characteristics and relationships of project managers of complexprojects in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Study is based on Research Design, Data Collection, Interviews, Case Studies, and Data Analysis across varying disciplines such as biological research, space research, advanced aeronautical test facilities, aeronautic flight demonstrations, and projects at different NASA centers to ensure that findings were not endemic to one type of project management, or to one Center's management philosophies. Each project is treated as a separate case with the primary data collected during semi-structured interviews with the project manager responsible for the overall project. Results of the various efforts show some definite similarities of characteristics and relationships among the project managers in the study. A model for how the project managers formulated and managed their projects is included.

We present a direct construction of compact real forms of the trigonometric and elliptic {n}-particle Ruijsenaars-Schneider systems whose completed center-of-mass phase space is the complexprojectivespace {{{CP}}^{n-1}} with the Fubini-Study symplectic structure. These systems are labeled by an integer {pin{1,ldots,n-1}} relative prime to {n} and a coupling parameter {y} varying in a certain punctured interval around {pπ/n}. Our work extends Ruijsenaars's pioneering study of compactifications that imposed the restriction {0 < y < π/n}, and also builds on an earlier derivation of more general compact trigonometric systems by Hamiltonian reduction.

Automated Manifest Planner (AMP) computer program applies combination of artificial-intelligence techniques to assist both expert and novice planners, reducing planning time by orders of magnitude. Gives planners flexibility to modify plans and constraints easily, without need for programming expertise. Developed specifically for planning space shuttle missions 5 to 10 years ahead, with modifications, applicable in general to planning other complexprojects requiring scheduling of activities depending on other activities and/or timely allocation of resources. Adaptable to variety of complex scheduling problems in manufacturing, transportation, business, architecture, and construction.

This work concerns some issues about the interplay of standard and geometric (Hamiltonian) approaches to finite-dimensional quantum mechanics, formulated in the projectivespace. Our analysis relies upon the notion and the properties of so-called frame functions, introduced by Gleason to prove his celebrated theorem. In particular, the problem of associating quantum states with positive Liouville densities is tackled from an axiomatic point of view, proving a theorem classifying all possible correspondences. A similar result is established for classical-like observables (i.e. real scalar functions on the projectivespace) representing quantum ones. These correspondences turn out to be encoded in a one-parameter class and, in both cases, the classical-like objects representing quantum ones result to be frame functions. The requirements of U(n) covariance and (convex) linearity play a central role in the proof of those theorems. A new characterization of classical-like observables describing quantum observables is presented, together with a geometric description of the C∗-algebra structure of the set of quantum observables in terms of classical-like ones.

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), located in the Mojave Desert about 40 miles north of Barstow, California, and about 160 miles northeast of Pasadena, is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. Activities at the GDSCC are carried out in support of six large parabolic dish antennas. As a large-scale facility located in a remote, isolated desert region, the GDSCC operations require numerous on-site storage facilities for gasoline, diesel oil, hydraulic oil, and waste oil. These fluids are stored in underground storage tanks (USTs). This present volume describes what happened to the 26 USTs that remained at the GDSCC. Twenty-four of these USTs were constructed of carbon steel without any coating for corrosion protection, and without secondary containment or leak detection. Two remaining USTs were constructed of fiberglass-coated carbon steel but without secondary containment or leak protection. Of the 26 USTs that remained at the GDSCC, 23 were cleaned, removed from the ground, cut up, and hauled away from the GDSCC for environmentally acceptable disposal. Three USTs were permanently closed (abandoned in place).

Describes the winners of the Space Traveler Project, a contest jointly sponsored by Rockwell International, NASA, and this magazine to identify worthwhile elementary science programs relating to the Space Shuttle. (SJL)

Describes the winners of the Space Traveler Project, a contest jointly sponsored by Rockwell International, NASA, and this magazine to identify worthwhile elementary science programs relating to the Space Shuttle. (SJL)

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-35) blasts off into a dark Florida sky. Columbia's payload included the ASTRO project which was designed to obtain ultraviolet (UV) data on astronomical objects using a UV telescope flying on Spacelab.

Historians of science from the Johns Hopkins University and the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum have begun an historical study of the development of the Space Telescope.The Space Telescope Historical Project, designed to enhance the public's understanding of the Space Telescope, is under the direction of Robert Kargon, the Willis K. Shepard Professor and chairman of the department of history of science at Johns Hopkins, and Paul Hanle, chairman of the department of space science and exploration at the National Air and Space Museum. One of the goals of the project is to write a history of the telescope and to publish it at a time proximate to the telescope's launch, which is scheduled for early 1985.

Using Isham's group-theoretic quantization scheme, we construct the canonical groups of the systems on the two-dimensional sphere and one-dimensional complexprojectivespace, which are homeomorphic. In the first case, we take SO(3) as the natural canonical Lie group of rotations of the two-sphere and find all the possible Hamiltonian vector fields, and followed by verifying the commutator and Poisson bracket algebra correspondences with the Lie algebra of the group. In the second case, the same technique is resumed to define the Lie group, in this case SU (2), of CP'.We show that one can simply use a coordinate transformation from S2 to CP1 to obtain all the Hamiltonian vector fields of CP1. We explicitly show that the Lie algebra structures of both canonical groups are locally homomorphic. On the other hand, globally their corresponding canonical groups are acting on different geometries, the latter of which is almost complex. Thus the canonical group for CP1 is the double-covering group of SO(3), namely SU(2). The relevance of the proposed formalism is to understand the idea of CP1 as a space of where the qubit lives which is known as a Bloch sphere.

This is an onboard photo of space shuttle Atlantis (STS-66) crew member, French scientist Jean-Francois Clervoy working on the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applied Sciences (ATLAS-3) project. The ATLAS-3 measures the variances of the sun's solar radiation and the variability in the solar spectrum.

Backdropped against the Earth, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)is shown sporting new and modified solar arrays stowed against its barrel. Orbiting Earth at an altitude of 325 nautical miles, an astronaut begins other repairs of the HST while perched atop a foot restraint on shuttle Endeavour's remote manipulator system arm. The 59th and final Shuttle flight of 1993 was one of most challenging and complex marned missions ever attempted. During record five back-to-back space walks totaling 35 hours and 28 minutes, two teams of astronauts completed the first servicing of the HST. The STS-061 mission was launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor on December 2, 1993.

The STS-109 crew of seven waved to onlookers as they emerged from the Operations and Checkout Buildings at Kennedy Space Flight Center eager to get to the launch pad to embark upon the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia's 27th flight into space. Crew members included, from front to back, Duane G. Carey (left) and Scott D. Altman (right); Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist; John M. Grunsfield (left), payload commander, and Richard M. Linneham (right); James H. Newman (left) and Michael J. Massimino (right), all mission specialists. Launched March 1, 2002, the goal of the mission was the maintenance and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By using Columbia's robotic arm, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay where four members of the crew performed five spacewalks to complete system upgrades to the HST. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

This STS-68 patch was designed by artist Sean Collins. Exploration of Earth from space is the focus of the design of the insignia, the second flight of the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-2). SRL-2 was part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) project. The world's land masses and oceans dominate the center field, with the Space Shuttle Endeavour circling the globe. The SRL-2 letters span the width and breadth of planet Earth, symbolizing worldwide coverage of the two prime experiments of STS-68: The Shuttle Imaging Radar-C and X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) instruments; and the Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS) sensor. The red, blue, and black colors of the insignia represent the three operating wavelengths of SIR-C/X-SAR, and the gold band surrounding the globe symbolizes the atmospheric envelope examined by MAPS. The flags of international partners Germany and Italy are shown opposite Endeavour. The relationship of the Orbiter to Earth highlights the usefulness of human space flights in understanding Earth's environment, and the monitoring of its changing surface and atmosphere. In the words of the crew members, the soaring Orbiter also typifies the excellence of the NASA team in exploring our own world, using the tools which the Space Program developed to explore the other planets in the solar system.

Synthetic biology is an effort to make genetic engineering more useful by standardizing sections of genetic code. By standardizing genetic components, biological engineering will become much more similar to traditional fields of engineering, in which well-defined components and subsystems are readily available in markets. Specifications of the behavior of those components and subsystems can be used to model a system which incorporates them. Then, the behavior of the novel system can be simulated and optimized. Finally, the components and subsystems can be purchased and assembled to create the optimized system, which most often will exhibit behavior similar to that indicated by the model. The Space Synthetic Biology project began in 2012 as a multi-Center effort. The purpose of this project was to harness Synthetic Biology principals to enable NASA's missions. A central target for application was to Environmental Control & Life Support (ECLS). Engineers from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) ECLS Systems Development Branch (ES62) were brought into the project to contribute expertise in operational ECLS systems. Project lead scientists chose to pursue the development of bioelectrochemical technologies to spacecraft life support. Therefore, the ECLS element of the project became essentially an effort to develop a bioelectrochemical ECLS subsystem. Bioelectrochemical systems exploit the ability of many microorganisms to drive their metabolisms by direct or indirect utilization of electrical potential gradients. Whereas many microorganisms are capable of deriving the energy required for the processes of interest (such as carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation) from sunlight, it is believed that subsystems utilizing electrotrophs will exhibit smaller mass, volume, and power requirements than those that derive their energy from sunlight. In the first 2 years of the project, MSFC personnel conducted modeling, simulation, and conceptual design efforts to assist the

Designed by the mission crew members, the STS-61 crew insignia depicts the astronaut symbol superimposed against the sky with the Earth underneath. Also seen are two circles representing the optical configuration of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Light is focused by reflections from a large primary mirror and a smaller secondary mirror. The light is analyzed by various instruments and, according to the crew members, brings to us on Earth knowledge about planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial objects, allowing us to better understand the complex physical processes at work in the universe. The Space Shuttle Endeavour is also represented as the fundamental tool that allows the crew to perform the first servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope so its scientific deep space mission may be extended for several years to come. The overall design of the emblem, with lines converging to a high point, is also a symbolic representation of the large-scale Earth-based effort which involves space agencies, industry, and the universities to reach goals of knowledge and perfection.

This illustration is an orbiter cutaway view with callouts. The orbiter is both the brains and heart of the Space Transportation System (STS). About the same size and weight as a DC-9 aircraft, the orbiter contains the pressurized crew compartment (which can normally carry up to seven crew members), the huge cargo bay, and the three main engines mounted on its aft end. There are three levels to the crew cabin. Uppermost is the flight deck where the commander and the pilot control the mission. The middeck is where the gallery, toilet, sleep stations, and storage and experiment lockers are found for the basic needs of weightless daily living. Also located in the middeck is the airlock hatch into the cargo bay and space beyond. It is through this hatch and airlock that astronauts go to don their spacesuits and marned maneuvering units in preparation for extravehicular activities, more popularly known as spacewalks. The Space Shuttle's cargo bay is adaptable to hundreds of tasks. Large enough to accommodate a tour bus (60 x 15 feet or 18.3 x 4.6 meters), the cargo bay carries satellites, spacecraft, and spacelab scientific laboratories to and from Earth orbit. It is also a work station for astronauts to repair satellites, a foundation from which to erect space structures, and a hold for retrieved satellites to be returned to Earth. Thermal tile insulation and blankets (also known as the thermal protection system or TPS) cover the underbelly, bottom of the wings, and other heat-bearing surfaces of the orbiter to protect it during its fiery reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The Shuttle's 24,000 individual tiles are made primarily of pure-sand silicate fibers, mixed with a ceramic binder. The solid rocket boosters (SRB's) are designed as an in-house Marshall Space Flight Center project, with United Space Boosters as the assembly and refurbishment contractor. The solid rocket motor (SRM) is provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

A scaled-down 24-inch version of the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor was successfully fired for 21 seconds at a Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Test Stand. The motor was tested to ensure a replacement material called Lycocel would meet the criteria set by the Shuttle's Solid Motor Project Office. The current material is a heat-resistant, rayon-based, carbon-cloth phenolic used as an insulating material for the motor's nozzle. Lycocel, a brand name for Tencel, is a cousin to rayon and is an exceptionally strong fiber made of wood pulp produced by a special "solvent-spirning" process using a nontoxic solvent. It will also be impregnated with a phenolic resin. This new material is expected to perform better under the high temperatures experienced during launch. The next step will be to test the material on a 48-inch solid rocket motor. The test, which replicates launch conditions, is part of Shuttle's ongoing verification of components, materials, and manufacturing processes required by MSFC, which oversees the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor project. Manufactured by the ATK Thiokol Propulsion Division in Promontory, California, the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor measures 126 feet (38.4 meters) long and 12 feet (3.6 meters) in diameter. It is the largest solid rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse. During its two-minute burn at liftoff, each motor generates an average thrust of 2.6 million pounds (1.2 million kilograms).

The Space Shuttle represented an entirely new generation of space vehicles, the world's first reusable spacecraft. Unlike earlier expendable rockets, the Shuttle was designed to be launched over and over again and would serve as a system for ferrying payloads and persornel to and from Earth orbit. The Shuttle's major components are the orbiter spacecraft; the three main engines, with a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds; the huge external tank (ET) that feeds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer to the three main engines; and the two solid rocket boosters (SRB's), with their combined thrust of some 5.8 million pounds, that provide most of the power for the first two minutes of flight. Crucially involved with the Space Shuttle program virtually from its inception, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a leading role in the design, development, testing, and fabrication of many major Shuttle propulsion components. The MSFC was assigned responsibility for developing the Shuttle orbiter's high-performance main engines, the most complex rocket engines ever built. The MSFC was also responsible for developing the Shuttle's massive ET and the solid rocket motors and boosters.

The Space Shuttle represented an entirely new generation of space vehicle, the world's first reusable spacecraft. Unlike earlier expendable rockets, the Shuttle was designed to be launched over and over again and would serve as a system for ferrying payloads and persornel to and from Earth orbit. The Shuttle's major components are the orbiter spacecraft; the three main engines, with a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds; the huge external tank (ET) that feeds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer to the three main engines; and the two solid rocket boosters (SRB's), with their combined thrust of some 5.8 million pounds. The SRB's provide most of the power for the first two minutes of flight. Crucially involved with the Space Shuttle program virtually from its inception, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a leading role in the design, development, testing, and fabrication of many major Shuttle propulsion components. The MSFC was assigned responsibility for developing the Shuttle orbiter's high-performance main engines, the most complex rocket engines ever built. The MSFC was also responsible for developing the Shuttle's massive ET and the solid rocket motors and boosters.

A Space Shuttle Main Engine undergoes test-firing at the National Space Technology Laboratories (now the Sternis Space Center) in Mississippi. The Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility of Space Shuttle propulsion elements, including the Main Engines.

This is the insignia of the STS-109 Space Shuttle mission. Carrying a crew of seven, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia was launched with goals of maintenance and upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. During the STS-109 mission, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm where four members of the crew performed five spacewalks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: The replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when it original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 27th flight of the Orbiter Columbia and the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Carrying a crew of seven, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia soared through some pre-dawn clouds into the sky as it began its 27th flight, STS-109. Launched March 1, 2002, the goal of the mission was the maintenance and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. During the STS-109 mission, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm. Here four members of the crew performed five spacewalks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when it original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

This is a photo of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST),in its origianl configuration, berthed in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-109 mission silhouetted against the airglow of the Earth's horizon. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where 4 of the 7-member crew performed 5 spacewalks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. Launched March 1, 2002 the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

This image illustrates the solid rocket motor (SRM)/solid rocket booster (SRB) configuration. The Shuttle's two SRB's are the largest solids ever built and the first designed for refurbishment and reuse. Standing nearly 150-feet high, the twin boosters provide the majority of thrust for the first two minutes of flight, about 5.8 million pounds, augmenting the Shuttle's main propulsion system during liftoff. The major design drivers for the SRM's were high thrust and reuse. The desired thrust was achieved by using state-of-the-art solid propellant and by using a long cylindrical motor with a specific core design that allows the propellant to burn in a carefully controlled marner. At burnout, the boosters separate from the external tank and drop by parachute to the ocean for recovery and subsequent refurbishment. The boosters are designed to survive water impact at almost 60 miles per hour, maintain flotation with minimal damage, and preclude corrosion of the hardware exposed to the harsh seawater environment. Under the project management of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the SRB's are assembled and refurbished by the United Space Boosters. The SRM's are provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

This illustration is a cutaway of the solid rocket booster (SRB) sections with callouts. The Shuttle's two SRB's are the largest solids ever built and the first designed for refurbishment and reuse. Standing nearly 150-feet high, the twin boosters provide the majority of thrust for the first two minutes of flight, about 5.8 million pounds, augmenting the Shuttle's main propulsion system during liftoff. The major design drivers for the solid rocket motors (SRM's) were high thrust and reuse. The desired thrust was achieved by using state-of-the-art solid propellant and by using a long cylindrical motor with a specific core design that allows the propellant to burn in a carefully controlled marner. At burnout, the boosters separate from the external tank and drop by parachute to the ocean for recovery and subsequent refurbishment. The boosters are designed to survive water impact at almost 60 miles per hour, maintain flotation with minimal damage, and preclude corrosion of the hardware exposed to the harsh seawater environment. Under the project management of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the SRB's are assembled and refurbished by the United Space Boosters. The SRM's are provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

Software projectcomplexity is a subject that has not received detailed attention. The purpose of this chapter is to present a systematic way for studying and modeling software projectcomplexity. The proposed model is based on the widely known and accepted Project Management Body of Knowledge and it uses a typology for modeling complexity based on complexity of faith, fact, and interaction.

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide and a virus. More than 200 scientists from 16 countries participated in the investigations. This is the logo or emblem that was designed to represent the IML-1 payload.

This is an onboard photo of Astronaut John M. Grunsfield, STS-109 payload commander, participating in the third of five spacewalks to perform work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). On this particular walk, Grunsfield, joined by Astronaut Richard M. Lirnehan, turned off the telescope in order to replace its power control unit (PCU), the heart of the HST's power system. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where crew members completed system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. Launched March 1, 2002 the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Space activities have existed for 34 years around the world. Demanding technology operating in extreme conditions has been developed for spaceprojects, instruments, satellites and shuttles. The nature of space technology is basic development and it also serves well the purposes of conventional, industrial and commercial applications. ESA's industrial return makes it possible for the industry and research organizations to participate in spaceprojects. In that way, Finland has a possibility to widen its technological know-how base, get technology knowledge for developing new commercial products, and get a base for controlling quality. Many of the space instrument and Earth observation projects (for example, GOMOS ozone analyzer) are also socially important.

A Japanese plan for an infrared ( z-band: 0.9 m) space astrometry project, JASMINE, is introduced. JASMINE is a satellite (Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration) to measure distances and apparent motions of stars in the bulge of the Milky Way with yet unprecedented precision. It will measure parallaxes and positions with an accuracy of 10 μarcsec and proper motions with an accuracy of 4 μarcsec/year for stars brighter than z = 14 mag. JASMINE will observe about 10 million stars belonging to the bulge component of our Galaxy. With a completely new "map of the Galactic bulge", it is expected that many new exciting scientific results will be obtained in various fields of astronomy. Presently, JASMINE is in the development phase, with a target launch date around 2015. Overall system (bus) design is presently ongoing, in cooperation with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Preliminary design of instruments, observing strategy, data reduction, and critical technical issues for JASMINE will be described.

Estimates concerning space manufacturing, which might well become the largest and most specific application of space technology by the end of the century are given. Two classes of materials are considered - electronic crystals and biologicals.

On the 500th arniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, replicas of his three ships sailed past the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) while the space shuttle Columbia sat poised for lift off.

Prepared by NASA, this guide contains lessons dealing with space for use in elementary and secondary social studies classes. Activities are many and varied. For example, students analyze the costs and benefits of space travel, develop their own space station, and explore the decision-making processes involved in the shuttle. (RM)

Prepared by NASA, this guide contains lessons dealing with space for use in elementary and secondary social studies classes. Activities are many and varied. For example, students analyze the costs and benefits of space travel, develop their own space station, and explore the decision-making processes involved in the shuttle. (RM)

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-62) comes to a graceful halt with the help of a parachute after a 14-day mission. The five member crew performed materials processing experiments on the United States Microgravity Payload 2 (USMP-2), and also conducted experiments designed to enable or extend space flight technology aboard the Office of Aeornautics and Space Technology 2 payload (OAST-2).

A clear blue sky hosts the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia STS-107 mission as it hurtles toward space from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on January 16, 2003. The 28th Columbia flight and 113th overall flight in NASA's Space Shuttle program, STS-107 is a multidiscipline microgravity and Earth science research mission involving 80-plus International experiments to be performed by a crew of seven during the 16-day mission. The breadth of science conducted on this mission will have widespread benefits to life on Earth, many of which will be managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Designed by the mission crew members, the patch for STS-69 symbolizes the multifaceted nature of the flight's mission. The primary payload, the Wake Shield Facility (WSF), is represented in the center by the astronaut emblem against a flat disk. The astronaut emblem also signifies the importance of human beings in space exploration, reflected by the planned space walk to practice for International Space Station (ISS) activities and to evaluate space suit design modifications. The two stylized Space Shuttles highlight the ascent and entry phases of the mission. Along with the two spiral plumes, the stylized Space Shuttles symbolize a NASA first, the deployment and recovery on the same mission of two spacecraft (both the Wake Shield Facility and the Spartan). The constellations Canis Major and Canis Minor represent the astronomy objectives of the Spartan and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH) payload. The two constellations also symbolize the talents and dedication of the support personnel who make Space Shuttle missions possible.

Diffusion and thermal diffusion processes in a liquid mixture are accompanied by long-range non-equilibrium fluctuations, whose amplitude is orders of magnitude larger than that of equilibrium fluctuations. The mean-square amplitude of the non-equilibrium fluctuations presents a scale-free power law behavior q(-4) as a function of the wave vector q, but the divergence of the amplitude of the fluctuations at small wave vectors is prevented by the presence of gravity. In microgravity conditions the non-equilibrium fluctuations are fully developed and span all the available length scales up to the macroscopic size of the systems in the direction parallel to the applied gradient. Available theoretical models are based on linearized hydrodynamics and provide an adequate description of the statics and dynamics of the fluctuations in the presence of small temperature/concentration gradients and under stationary or quasi-stationary conditions. We describe a project aimed at the investigation of Non-EquilibriUm Fluctuations during DIffusion in compleX liquids (NEUF-DIX). The focus of the project is on the investigation in micro-gravity conditions of the non-equilibrium fluctuations in complex liquids, trying to tackle several challenging problems that emerged during the latest years, such as the theoretical predictions of Casimir-like forces induced by non-equilibrium fluctuations; the understanding of the non-equilibrium fluctuations in multi-component mixtures including a polymer, both in relation to the transport coefficients and to their behavior close to a glass transition; the understanding of the non-equilibrium fluctuations in concentrated colloidal suspensions, a problem closely related with the detection of Casimir forces; and the investigation of the development of fluctuations during transient diffusion. We envision to parallel these experiments with state-of-the-art multi-scale simulations.

We consider the problem of biological complexity via a projection of protein-coding genes of complex organisms onto the functional space of the proteome. The latter can be defined as a set of all functions committed by proteins of an organism. Alternative splicing (AS) allows an organism to generate diverse mature RNA transcripts from a single mRNA strand and thus it could be one of the key mechanisms of increasing of functional complexity of the organism's proteome and a driving force of biological evolution. Thus, the projection of transcription units (TU) and alternative splice-variant (SV) forms onto proteome functional space could generate new types of relational networks (e.g. SV-protein function networks, SFN) and lead to discoveries of novel evolutionarily conservative functional modules. Such types of networks might provide new reliable characteristics of organism complexity and a better understanding of the evolutionary integration and plasticity of interconnection of genome-transcriptome-proteome functions. We use the InterPro and UniProt databases to attribute descriptive features (keywords) to protein sequences. UniProt database includes a controlled and curated vocabulary of specific descriptors or keywords. The keywords have been assigned to a protein sequence via conserved domains or via similarity with annotated sequences. Then we consider the unique combinations of keywords as the protein functional labels (FL), which characterize the biological functions of the given protein and construct the contingency tables and graphs providing the projections of transcription units (TU) and alternative splice-variants (SV) onto all FL of the proteome of a given organism. We constructed SFNs for organisms with different evolutionary history and levels of complexity, and performed detailed statistical parameterization of the networks. The application of the algorithm to organisms with different evolutionary history and level of biological complexity (nematode

The sun rises on the Space Shuttle Discovery as it rests on the runway at Edward’s Air Force Base in California after a safe landing at 5:11 am (PDT) on August 9, 2005. The STS-114 landing concluded a historic 14 day return to flight mission to the International Space Station (ISS) after nearly a two and one half year delay in flight after the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy in February 2003. Three successful space walks performed during the mission included a demonstration of repair techniques to the Shuttle’s thermal tiles known as the Thermal Protection System, the replacement of a failed Control Moment Gyroscope which helps keep the station oriented properly, and the installation of the External Stowage Platform, a space “shelf” for holding spare parts during Station construction. The shuttle’s heat shield repair was a first for Shuttle repair while still in space.

The crew patch for NASA's STS-83 mission depicts the Space Shuttle Columbia launching into space for the first Microgravity Sciences Laboratory 1 (MSL-1) mission. MSL-1 investigated materials science, fluid dynamics, biotechnology, and combustion science in the microgravity environment of space, experiments that were conducted in the Spacelab Module in the Space Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay. The center circle symbolizes a free liquid under microgravity conditions representing various fluid and materials science experiments. Symbolic of the combustion experiments is the surrounding starburst of a blue flame burning in space. The 3-lobed shape of the outermost starburst ring traces the dot pattern of a transmission Laue photograph typical of biotechnology experiments. The numerical designation for the mission is shown at bottom center. As a forerunner to missions involving International Space Station (ISS), STS-83 represented the hope that scientific results and knowledge gained during the flight will be applied to solving problems on Earth for the benefit and advancement of humankind.

The official mission insignia for the 41-D Space Shuttle flight features the Discovery - NASA's third orbital vehicle - as it makes its maiden voyage. The ghost ship represents the orbiter's namesakes which have figured prominently in the history of exploration. The Space Shuttle Discovery heads for new horizons to extend that proud tradition. Surnames for the crewmembers of NASA's eleventh Space Shuttle mission encircle the red, white, and blue scene.

Space Shuttle Atlantis takes flight on its STS-27 mission, December 2, 1988, utilizing 375,000 pounds of thrust produced by its three main engines. The engines start in 3.9 seconds of ignition and go to static pump speeds of approximately 35,000 revolutions per minute during that time. The Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility of Space Shuttle propulsion elements, including the Main Engines.

The STS-70 crew patch depicts the Space Shuttle Discovery orbiting Earth in the vast blackness of space. The primary mission of deploying a NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) is depicted by three gold stars. They represent the triad composed of spacecraft transmitting data to Earth through the TDRS system. The stylized red, white, and blue ribbon represents the American goal of linking space exploration to the advancement of all humankind.

Midmorning proved the perfect time for a Space Shuttle launch as the thunderstorms that characteristically develop later in the day during hot Florida summers held off long enough to allow a flawless liftoff for the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-78) and her crew of seven and the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS), managed by Marshall Space Flight Center. During the 17 day spaceflight, the crew conducted a diverse slate of experiments divided into a mix of life science and microgravity investigations; and, in a marner very similar to future international space station operations, LMS researchers from the United States and their European counterparts shared resources such as crew time and equipment.

The STS-28 insignia was designed by the astronaut crew, who said it portrays the pride the American people have in their manned spaceflight program. It depicts America (the eagle) guiding the space program (the Space Shuttle) safely home from an orbital mission. The view looks south on Baja California and the west coast of the United States as the space travelers re-enter the atmosphere. The hypersonic contrails created by the eagle and Shuttle represent the American flag. The crew called the simple boldness of the design symbolic of America's unfaltering commitment to leadership in the exploration and development of space.

STS-79 was the fourth in a series of NASA docking missions to the Russian Mir Space Station, leading up to the construction and operation of the International Space Station (ISS). As the first flight of the Spacehab Double Module, STS-79 encompassed research, test and evaluation of ISS, as well as logistics resupply for the Mir Space Station. STS-79 was also the first NASA-Mir American crew member exchange mission, with John E. Blaha (NASA-Mir-3) replacing Shannon W. Lucid (NASA-Mir-2) aboard the Mir Space Station. The lettering of their names either up or down denotes transport up to the Mir Space Station or return to Earth on STS-79. The patch is in the shape of the Space Shuttle’s airlock hatch, symbolizing the gateway to international cooperation in space. The patch illustrates the historic cooperation between the United States and Russia in space. With the flags of Russia and the United States as a backdrop, the handshake of Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) which are suited crew members symbolizes mission teamwork, not only of the crew members but also the teamwork between both countries space personnel in science, engineering, medicine and logistics.

In this photograph the SYNCOM IV-3, also known as LEASAT 3, satellite moves away from the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery. SYNCOM (Hughes Geosynchronous Communication Satellite) provides communication services from geosynchronous orbit, principally to the U.S. Government. The satellite was launched on April 12, 1985, aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-45) roars into space in this photo showing a close-up of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and the external tank. Atlantis' mission included experiments on the Atmospheric Lab for Applications and Sciences (ATLAS). ATLAS-1 measures long-term variability in the total energy radiated by the sun and determines the variability in the solar spectrum.

A unique view of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-73) moments after bursting into Earth's atmosphere on its way toward space. Onboard the orbiter is the United States Microgravity Laboratory 2 (USML-2), a Marshall managed payload, where Columbia's seven member crew will perform experiments while in orbit.

A workman reams holes to the proper size and aligment in the Space Shuttle Main Engine's main injector body, through which propellants will pass through on their way into the engine's combustion chamber. Rockwell International's Rocketdyne Division plant produced the engines under contract to the Marshall Space Flight Center.

An STS-41D onboard photo shows the Solar Array Experiment (SAE) panel deployment for the Office of Aeronautics and space Technology-1 (OAST-1). OAST-1 is several advanced space technology experiments utilizing a common data system and is mounted on a platform in the Shuttle cargo bay.

On September 29, 1988, after a 32-month hiatus in the Space Shuttle program that followed the Challenger accident, orbiter Discovery roared upward on the strength of its Marshall-managed solid rocket boosters, external tank, and Space Shuttle main engines.

The Space Shuttle Challenger, making its fourth space flight, highlights the 41B insignia. The reusable vehicle is flanked in the oval by an illustration of a Payload Assist Module-D solid rocket motor (PAM-D) for assisted satellite deployment; an astronaut making the first non-tethered extravehicular activity (EVA); and eleven stars.

The Apollo program demonstrated that men could travel into space, perform useful tasks there, and return safely to Earth. But space had to be more accessible. This led to the development of the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle's major components are the orbiter spacecraft; the three main engines, with a combined thrust of more than 1.2 million pounds; the huge external tank (ET) that feeds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer to the three main engines; and the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs), with their combined thrust of some 5.8 million pounds, that provide most of the power for the first two minutes of flight. Crucially involved with the Space Shuttle program virtually from its inception, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) played a leading role in the design, development, testing, and fabrication of many major Shuttle propulsion components.

Launched on July 26 2005, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This close up of the thermal tiles was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist (out of frame). Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, STS-114 mission specialist representing the Japan Aerospace Exploration (JAXA), can be seen in the background perched on a Space Station truss.

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. Back dropped by the blackness of space and Earth’s horizon, astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, is anchored to a foot restraint on the extended ISS’s Canadarm-2.

This image of the Russian Mir Space Station was photographed by a crewmember of the STS-74 mission when the Orbiter Atlantis was approaching the Mir Space Station. STS-74 was the second Space Shuttle/Mir docking mission. The Docking Module was delivered and installed, making it possible for the Space Shuttle to dock easily with Mir. The Orbiter Atlantis delivered water, supplies, and equipment, including two new solar arrays to upgrade the Mir, and returned to Earth with experiment samples, equipment for repair and analysis, and products manufactured on the Station. Mir was constructed in orbit by cornecting different modules, seperately launched from 1986 to 1996, providing a large and livable scientific laboratory in space. The 100-ton Mir was as big as six school buses and commonly housed three crewmembers. Mir was continuously occupied, except for two short periods, and hosted international scientists and American astronauts until August 1999. The journey of the 15-year-old Russian Mir Space Station ended March 23, 2001, as Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and fell into the south Pacific ocean . STS-74 was launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at the Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995.

The STS-74 crew patch depicts the orbiter Atlantis docked to the Russian Space Station Mir. The central focus is on the Russian-built docking module, drawn with shading to accentuate its pivotal importance to both STS-74 and the NASA-Mir Program. The rainbow across the horizon represents the Earth's atmosphere, the thin membrane protecting all nations, while the three flags across the bottom show those nations participating in STS-74: Russia, Canada, and the United States. The sunrise is symbolic of the dawn of a new era in NASA space flight , that of International Space Station construction.

Designed by the crew members, the STS-63 crew patch depicts the orbiter maneuvering to rendezvous with Russia's Space Station Mir. The name is printed in Cyrillic on the side of the station. Visible in the Orbiter's payload bay are the commercial space laboratory Spacehab and the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN) satellite which are major payloads on the flight. The six points on the rising sun and the three stars are symbolic of the mission's Space Transportation System (STS) numerical designation. Flags of the United States and Russia at the bottom of the patch symbolize the cooperative operations of this mission.

Like a rising sun lighting up the afternoon sky, the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-87) soared from Launch Pad 39B on the fourth flight of the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4) and Spartan-201 satellite which were managed by scientists and engineers from the Marshall Space Flight Center. During the 16-day mission, the crew oversaw experiments in microgravity; deployed and retrieved a solar satellite; and tested a new experimental camera, the AERCam Sprint. Two crew members, Dr. Takao Doi and Winston Scott also performed a spacewalk to practice International Space Station maneuvers.

This is the insignia for the STS-107 mission which is a multidiscipline microgravity and Earth science research mission involving 80-plus International experiments to be performed by a crew of seven during the 16-day mission. The breadth of science conducted on this mission will have widespread benefits to life on Earth. Many of the experiments will be managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The first shuttle mission in 2003, the STS-107 mission launched January 16, 2003, for the 28th flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia and the 113th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program.

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-50) launched into history carrying crew of seven and its payload was comprised of the US Microgravity Laboratory 1 (USML-1).The USML-1 was one of NASA's missions dedicated to scientific investigations in a microgravity environment inside the Spacelab module. Investigations aboard the USML-1 included: materials science, fluid dynamics, biotechnology (crystal growth), and combustion science. Managed by Marshall Space Flight Center, the STS-50 mission was plarned for a 13-day duration, the mission ended with 14 days in space, the longest Shuttle mission to date.

This is a view of the Space Shuttle Discovery as it approaches the International Space Station (ISS) during the STS-105 mission. Visible in the payload bay of Discovery are the Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Leonardo at right, which stores various supplies and experiments to be transferred into the ISS; at center, the Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) which carries the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS); and two Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) containers at left. Aboard Discovery were the ISS Expedition Three crew, who were to replace the Expedition Two crew that had been living on the ISS for the past five months.

This early chart conceptualizes the use of two parallel Solid Rocket Motor Boosters in conjunction with three main engines to launch the proposed Space Shuttle to orbit. At approximately twenty-five miles altitude, the boosters would detach from the Orbiter and parachute back to Earth where they would be recovered and refurbished for future use. The Shuttle was designed as NASA's first reusable space vehicle, launching vertically like a spacecraft and landing on runways like conventional aircraft. Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibility for the Shuttle's propulsion elements, including the Solid Rocket Boosters.

A liquid hydrogen tank of the Shuttle's external tank (ET) is installed into the S-1C Test Stand for a structural test at the Marshall Space Flight Center. At 154-feet long and more than 27-feet in diameter, the ET is the largest component of the Space Shuttle, the structural backbone of the entire Shuttle system, and is the only part of the vehicle that is not reusable. The ET is manufactured at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Martin Marietta Corporation under management of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

This photograph shows an inside view of a liquid hydrogen tank for the Space Shuttle external tank (ET) Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA). The ET provides liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Shuttle's three main engines during the first 8.5 minutes of flight. At 154-feet long and more than 27-feet in diameter, the ET is the largest component of the Space Shuttle, the structural backbone of the entire Shuttle system, and is the only part of the vehicle that is not reusable. The ET is manufactured at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Martin Marietta Corporation under management of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Astronaut and mission specialist, Linda Godwin, makes a final check of her respiration system before submersion into a 25 ft deep pool at the Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F). Wearing a high fidelity training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, Godwin simulated STS-76 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) chores in the pool. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in March of 1996, STS-76 marked the third U.S. Shuttle-Mir docking during which Godwin, along with astronaut and mission specialist Michael R. (Rich) Clifford, performed the first Extravehicular Activity (EVA) during Mir-Shuttle docked operations.

With Commander Kevin R. Kregel and Pilot Steven W. Lindsey at the controls, the orbiter Columbia (STS-87) touched down its main gear on Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility to complete a 15-day, 16-hour and 34-minute-long mission of 6.5 million miles. During the 88th Space Shuttle mission, the crew performed experiments on the United States Microgravity Payload-4 and pollinated plants as part of the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment. This was the 12th landing for Columbia at KSC and the 41st KSC landing in the history of the Space Shuttle program.

Designed by the crewmembers assigned to the mission, the STS-35 crew patch symbolizes the Space Shuttle flying above Earth's atmosphere to better study the many celestial objects of the universe, represented by the constellation Orion.

This is a traditional crew portrait of the seven STS-107 crew members. Seated in front, from left, are: Astronauts Rick D. Husband, mission commander; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; and William C. McCool, pilot. Standing, from left, are: David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, and Michael P. Anderson, all mission specialists; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist, representing the Israeli Space Agency. Launched January 16, 2003, the STS-107 mission is strictly a multidiscipline microgravity and Earth science research mission involving 80-plus International experiments to be performed during 16-days, many of which will be managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The first shuttle mission in 2003, the STS-107 mission marks the 113th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program and the 28th flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia.

Designed by the mission’s crew members, the STS-57 crew patch depicts the Space Shuttle Endeavour maneuvering to retrieve the European Space Agency's microgravity experiment satellite EURECA. SpaceHab, the first commercial space laboratory, is depicted in the cargo bay, and its characteristic shape is represented by the inner red border of the patch. The three gold plumes surrounded by the five stars trailing EURECA are suggestive of the U.S. astronaut logo. The five gold stars together with the shape of the orbiter's mechanical arm form the mission's numerical designation. The six stars on the American flag represent the U.S. astronauts who comprise the crew. With detailed input from the crew members, the final artwork was accomplished by artist Tim Hall.

The Space Shuttle main propulsion system includes three major elements. One of those elements is the External Tank (ET). The ET holds over one-half million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen that fuel the main engines.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-67) lands at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California after successfully completing NASA's longest plarned shuttle mission. The seven-member crew conducted round-the-clock observations with the ASTRO-2 observatory, a trio of telescopes designed to study the universe of ultraviolet astronomy. Because of Earth's protective ozone layer ultraviolet light from celestial objects does not reach gound-based telescopes, and such studies can only be conducted from space.

The patch depicts the Space Shuttle lifting off against the multi-colored backdrop of a rainbow, symbolizing the triumphal return to flight of our nation's manned space program. The design also commemorates the memory of the crew of Challenger mission STS-51-L, represented by the seven stars. The names of the flight crewmembers of STS-27 are located along the border of the patch.

Signifying the continuing assembly of the International Space Station (ISS), the STS-116 crew patch depicts the space shuttle rising above the Earth and the ISS. The United States and Swedish flags trail the orbiter, depicting the international composition of the STS-116 crew. The seven stars of the constellation Ursa Major are used to provide direction to the North Star, which is superimposed over the installation location of the P5 truss on ISS.

A Virginia student works with a bottle and its cap in a mockup of the Middeck Glovebox used by astronauts on a number of space shuttle research missions. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.

A Virginia student wears gloves inside a water tank to simulate the awkward feel and dexterity that astronauts experience when working in spacesuits. He is directed by Brad McLain for the Space Biology Museum Network. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.

This photo depicts the installation of an External Tank (ET) into the Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand, building 4550. It is being mated to the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB's) for a Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test (MVGVT). At 154-feet long and more than 27-feet in diameter, the ET is the largest component of the Space Shuttle, the structural backbone of the entire Shuttle system, and is the only part of the vehicle that is not reusable.

Gary Coulter, a special assistant to NASA's life sciences researchers, explains the workings of the irner ear to a Virginia student. The chair rotates to disorient the vestibular system in a simulation of research on how astronauts adapt to space and readapt to Earth. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.

Astronauts are clowning around in space in this STS-51A onboard photo. Astronaut Gardner, holds a “For Sale” sign after the retrieval of two malfunctioning satellites; the Western Union Telegraph Communication Satellite (WESTAR VI); and the PALAPA-B2 Satellite. Astronaut Allen, who is standing on the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) is reflected in Gardner’s helmet visor. The 51A mission launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on November 8, 1984.

Astronauts are clowning around in space in this STS-51A onboard photo. Astronaut Gardner, holds a “For Sale” sign after the retrieval of two malfunctioning satellites; the Western Union Telegraph Communication Satellite (WESTAR VI); and the PALAPA-B2 Satellite. Astronaut Allen, who is standing on the RMS (Remote Manipulator System) is reflected in Gardner’s helmet visor. The 51A mission launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on November 8, 1984.

Marshall Space Flight Center workers install Structural Test Article Number Three (STA-3) into a Center test facility. From December 1987 to April 1988, STA-3 (a test model of the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor) underwent a series of six tests at the Marshall Center designed to demonstrate the structural strength of the Space Shuttle's Solid Rocket Booster, redesigned after the January 1986 Challenger accident.

The crewmembers of Space Shuttle mission 51-F have chosen as their insignia this design by Houston artist Skip Bradley. The Space Shuttle Challenger is depicted ascending toward the heavens in search of new knowledge in the field of solar and steallar astronomy, with its Spacelab 2 payload. The constellations Leo and Orion are in the positions they will be in, relative to the sun during the flight. The nineteen stars signify that this will be the 19th STS flight.

Designed by the crew members, the STS-103 emblem depicts the Space Shuttle Discovery approaching the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) prior to its capture and berthing. The purpose of the mission was to remove and replace some of the Telescope's older and out-of-date systems with newer, more reliable and more capable ones, and to make repairs to HST's exterior thermal insulation that had been damaged by more than nine years of exposure to the space environment. The horizontal and vertical lines centered on the Telescope symbolize the ability to reach and maintain a desired attitude in space, essential to the instrument's scientific operation. The preservation of this ability was one of the primary objectives of the mission. After the flight, the Telescope resumed its successful exploration of deep space and will continue to be used to study solar system objects, stars in the making, late phases of stellar evolution, galaxies and the early history of the universe. HST, as represented on this emblem was inspired by views from previous servicing missions, with its solar arrays illuminated by the Sun, providing a striking contrast with the blackness of space and the night side of Earth.

This is a view of the Russian Mir Space Station photographed by a crewmember of the second Shuttle/Mir docking mission, STS-74. The image shows: top - Progress supply vehicle, Kvant-1 module, and the Core module; middle left - Spektr module; middle center - Kristall module and Docking module; middle right - Kvant-2 module; and bottom - Soyuz. The Progress was an unmarned, automated version of the Soyuz crew transfer vehicle, designed to resupply the Mir. The Kvant-1 provided research in the physics of galaxies, quasars, and neutron stars by measuring electromagnetic spectra and x-ray emissions. The Core module served as the heart of the space station and contained the primary living and working areas, life support, and power, as well as the main computer, communications, and control equipment. The Spektr module provided Earth observation. It also supported research into biotechnology, life sciences, materials science, and space technologies. American astronauts used the Spektr as their living quarters. A main purpose of the Kristall module was to develop biological and materials production technologies in the space environment. The Docking module made it possible for the Space Shuttle to dock easily with the Mir. Kvant-2 was a scientific and airlock module, providing biological research, Earth observations, and EVA (extravehicular activity) capability. The Soyuz typically ferried three crewmembers to and from the Mir. The journey of the 15-year-old Russian Mir Space Station ended March 23, 2001, as the Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and fell into the south Pacific Ocean.

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, used the pictured still digital camera to expose a photo of his helmet visor during the EVA. Also visible in the reflection are thermal protection tiles on Discovery’s underside.

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This particular photo was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, whose shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles.

Launched on July 26, 2005 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-114 was classified as Logistics Flight 1. Among the Station-related activities of the mission were the delivery of new supplies and the replacement of one of the orbital outpost's Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs). STS-114 also carried the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the External Stowage Platform-2. A major focus of the mission was the testing and evaluation of new Space Shuttle flight safety, which included new inspection and repair techniques. Upon its approach to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle Discovery underwent a photography session in order to assess any damages that may have occurred during its launch and/or journey through Space. The mission’s third and final Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) included taking a close-up look and the repair of the damaged heat shield. Gap fillers were removed from between the orbiter’s heat-shielding tiles located on the craft’s underbelly. Never before had any repairs been done to an orbiter while still in space. This particular photo was taken by astronaut Stephen K. Robinson, STS-114 mission specialist, whose shadow is visible on the thermal protection tiles, and a portion of the Canadian built Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm and the Nile River is visible at the bottom.

The crew assigned to the STS-61B mission included Bryan D. O’Conner, pilot; Brewster H. Shaw, commander; Charles D. Walker, payload specialist; mission specialists Jerry L. Ross, Mary L. Cleave, and Sherwood C. Spring; and Rodolpho Neri Vela, payload specialist. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis November 28, 1985 at 7:29:00 pm (EST), the STS-61B mission’s primary payload included three communications satellites: MORELOS-B (Mexico); AUSSAT-2 (Australia); and SATCOM KU-2 (RCA Americom). Two experiments were conducted to test assembling erectable structures in space: EASE (Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity), and ACCESS (Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structure). In a joint venture between NASA/Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the EASE and ACCESS were developed and demonstrated at MSFC's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). In this STS-61B onboard photo, astronaut Spring was working on the EASE during an Extravehicular Activity (EVA). The primary objective of this experiment was to test the structural assembly concepts for suitability as the framework for larger space structures and to identify ways to improve the productivity of space construction.

STS-109 Astronaut Michael J. Massimino, mission specialist, perched on the Shuttle's robotic arm, is preparing to install the Electronic Support Module (ESM) in the aft shroud of the Hubble Space telescope (HST), with the assistance of astronaut James H. Newman (out of frame). The module will support a new experimental cooling system to be installed during the next day's fifth and final space walk of the mission. That cooling system is designed to bring the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi Spectrometer (NICMOS) back to life the which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. In addition to the installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and NICMOS, STS-109 upgrades to the HST included replacement of the solar array panels, replacement of the power control unit (PCU), and replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS). Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

This fish-eye view of the Russian Mir Space Station was photographed by a crewmember of the STS-74 mission after the separation. The image shows the installed Docking Module at bottom. The Docking Module was delivered and installed, making it possible for the Space Shuttle to dock easily with Mir. The Orbiter Atlantis delivered water, supplies, and equipment, including two new solar arrays to upgrade the Mir; and returned to Earth with experiment samples, equipment for repair and analysis, and products manufactured on the Station. Mir was constructed in orbit by cornecting different modules, each launched separately from 1986 to 1996, providing a large and livable scientific laboratory in space. The 100-ton Mir was as big as six school buses and commonly housed three crewmembers. Mir was continuously occupied, except for two short periods, and hosted international scientists and American astronauts until August 1999. The journey of the 15-year-old Russian Mir Space Station ended March 23, 2001, as Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and fell into the south Pacific ocean. STS-74 was the second Space Shuttle/Mir docking mission launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at the Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995.

The STS-90 crew patch reflects the dedication of the mission to neuroscience in celebration of the decade of the brain. Earth is revealed through a neuron-shaped window, which symbolizes new perspectives in the understanding of nervous system development, structure and function, both here on Earth and in the microgravity environment of space. The Space Shuttle Columbia is depicted with its open payload bay doors revealing the Spacelab within. An integral component of the mission, the laboratory/science module provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), signifies the strong international involvement in the mission. The seven crew members and two alternate payload specialists, Chiaki Naito-Mukai and Alexander W. Dunlap, are represented by the nine major stars of the constellation Cetus (the whale) in recognition of the International Year of the Ocean. The distant stars illustrate the far reaching implications of the mission science to the many sponsoring agencies, helping prepare for long-duration space flight aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The moon and Mars are depicted to reflect the crew's recognition that those two celestial bodies will be the next great challenges in human exploration of space and represent the key role that life science research will play in supporting such missions.

This mission patch for mission STS-80 depicts the Space Shuttle Columbia and the two research satellites its crew deployed into the blue field of space. The uppermost satellite is the Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (ORFEUS-SPAS), a telescope aimed at unraveling the life cycles of stars and understanding the gases that drift between them. The lower satellite is the Wake Shield Facility (WSF), flying for the third time. It will use the vacuum of space to create advanced semiconductors for the nation's electronics industry. ORFEUS and WSF are joined by the symbol of the Astronaut Corps, representing the human contribution to scientific progress in space. The two bright blue stars represent the mission's Extravehicular Activities (EVA), final rehearsals for techniques and tools to be used in assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). Surrounding Columbia is a constellation of 16 stars, one for each day of the mission, representing the stellar talents of the ground and flight teams that share the goal of expanding knowledge through a permanent human presence in space.

The STS-40 patch makes a contemporary statement focusing on human beings living and working in space. Against a background of the universe, seven silver stars, interspersed about the orbital path of Columbia, represent the seven crew members. The orbiter's flight path forms a double-helix, designed to represent the DNA molecule common to all living creatures. In the words of a crew spokesman, ...(the helix) affirms the ceaseless expansion of human life and American involvement in space while simultaneously emphasizing the medical and biological studies to which this flight is dedicated. Above Columbia, the phrase Spacelab Life Sciences 1 defines both the Shuttle mission and its payload. Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian man, silhouetted against the blue darkness of the heavens, is in the upper center portion of the patch. With one foot on Earth and arms extended to touch Shuttle's orbit, the crew feels, he serves as a powerful embodiment of the extension of human inquiry from the boundaries of Earth to the limitless laboratory of space. Sturdily poised amid the stars, he serves to link scentists on Earth to the scientists in space asserting the harmony of efforts which produce meaningful scientific spaceflight missions. A brilliant red and yellow Earth limb (center) links Earth to space as it radiates from a native American symbol for the sun. At the frontier of space, the traditional symbol for the sun vividly links America's past to America's future, the crew states. Beneath the orbiting Shuttle, darkness of night rests peacefully over the United States. Drawn by artist Sean Collins, the STS 40 Space Shuttle patch was designed by the crewmembers for the flight.

Inside the Space Shuttle Columbia's cabin, astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, controlled the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) on the crew cabin's aft flight deck to assist fellow astronauts during the STS-109 mission Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA). The RMS was used to capture the telescope and secure it into Columbia's cargo bay. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. STS-109 upgrades to the HST included: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

These five STS-97 crew members posed for a traditional portrait during training. On the front row, left to right, are astronauts Michael J. Bloomfield, pilot; Marc Garneau, mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency (CSA); and Brent W. Jett, Jr., commander. In the rear, wearing training versions of the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) space suits, (left to right) are astronauts Carlos I. Noriega, and Joseph R. Tarner, both mission specialists. The primary objective of the STS-97 mission was the delivery, assembly, and activation of the U.S. electrical power system onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The electrical power system, which is built into a 73-meter (240-foot) long solar array structure consists of solar arrays, radiators, batteries, and electronics. The entire 15.4-metric ton (17-ton) package is called the P6 Integrated Truss Segment and is the heaviest and largest element yet delivered to the station aboard a space shuttle. The electrical system will eventually provide the power necessary for the first ISS crews to live and work in the U.S. segment. The STS-97 crew of five launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavor on November 30, 2000 for an 11 day mission.

The crew assigned to the STS-71 mission included (front left to right) Vladimir N. Dezhurov, Mir 18 crew download; Robert L. Gibson, commander; and Anatoly Y. Solovyev, Mir 19 crew upload. On the back row, left to right, are Norman E. Thagard, Mir 18 crew download; Gennadiy Strelalov, Mir 18 crew download; Gregory J. Harbaugh, mission specialist; Ellen S. Baker, mission specialist; Charles J. Precourt, pilot; Bonnie J. Dunbar, mission specialist; and Nikolai Budarin, Mir 19 crew upload. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on June 27, 1995 at 3:32:19.044 pm (EDT), the STS-71 mission marked many firsts in human space flight history. It was the first U.S. Space Shuttle-Russian Space Station Mir docking and joint on-orbit operations, and the first on-orbit change out of a shuttle crew. In addition, it was the largest spacecraft ever in orbit and was the 100th U.S. human space launch conducted from the Cape.

The Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-94) soared from Launch Pad 39A begirning its 16-day Microgravity Science Laboratory -1 (MSL-1) mission. The launch window was opened 47 minutes earlier than the originally scheduled time to improve the opportunity to lift off before Florida summer rain showers reached the space center. During the space flight, the MSL-1 was used to test some of the hardware, facilities and procedures that were planned for use on the International Space Station which were managed by scientists and engineers from the Marshall Space Flight Center, while the flight crew conducted combustion, protein crystal growth and materials processing experiments. Also onboard was the Hitchhiker Cryogenic Flexible Diode (CRYOFD) experiment payload, which was attached to the right side of Columbia's payload bay. These payloads had previously flown on the STS-83 mission in April, which was cut short after nearly four days because of indications of a faulty fuel cell. STS-94 was a reflight of that mission.

STS-109 Astronaut Michael J. Massimino, mission specialist, perched on the Shuttle's robotic arm is working at the stowage area for the Hubble Space Telescope's port side solar array. Working in tandem with James. H. Newman, Massimino removed the old port solar array and stored it in Columbia's payload bay for return to Earth. The two went on to install a third generation solar array and its associated electrical components. Two crew mates had accomplished the same feat with the starboard array on the previous day. In addition to the replacement of the solar arrays, the STS-109 crew also installed the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera (NICMOS), replaced the power control unit (PCU), and replaced the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS). The 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program, the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 for 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. Five space walks were conducted to complete the HST upgrades. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built.

STS-109 Astronauts Michael J. Massimino and James H. Newman were making their second extravehicular activity (EVA) of their mission when astronaut Massimino, mission specialist, peered into Columbia's crew cabin during a brief break from work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The HST is latched down just a few feet behind him in Columbia's cargo bay. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). STS-109 upgrades to the HST included: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Nearby waters reflect the flames of the Space Shuttle Endeavor as she lifts off November 30, 2000, carrying the STS-97 crew of five. The STS-97 mission's primary objective was the delivery, assembly, and activation of the U.S. electrical power system onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The electrical power system, which is built into a 73-meter (240-foot) long solar array structure, consists of solar arrays, radiators, batteries, and electronics. The entire 15.4-metric ton (17-ton) package is called the P6 Integrated Truss Segment and is the heaviest and largest element yet delivered to the station aboard a space shuttle. The electrical system will eventually provide the power necessary for the first ISS crews to live and work in the U.S. segment.

Nearby waters reflect the flames of the Space Shuttle Endeavor as she lifts off November 30, 2000 carrying the STS-97 crew of five. The STS-97 mission's primary objective was the delivery, assembly, and activation of the U.S. electrical power system onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The electrical power system, which is built into a 73-meter (240-foot) long solar array structure, consists of solar arrays, radiators, batteries, and electronics. The entire 15.4-metric ton (17-ton) package is called the P6 Integrated Truss Segment, and is the heaviest and largest element yet delivered to the station aboard a space shuttle. The electrical system will eventually provide the power necessary for the first ISS crews to live and work in the U.S. segment.

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-56) onboard photo of Pilot Stephen S. Oswald (wearing a headset) uses the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREX-II) while sitting at the pilot's station on the forward flight deck. Oswald smiled from behind the microphone as he talks to amateur radio operators on Earth via the SAREX equipment. SAREX cables and the interface module freefloat in front of Oswald. The anterna located in the forward flight deck window is visible in the background. SAREX was established by NASA, the American Radio League/Amateur Radio Satellite Corporation and the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Amateur Radio Club to encourage public participation in the space program through a program to demonstrate the effectiveness of conducting short-wave radio transmissions between the Shuttle and ground-based radio operators at low-cost ground stations with amateur and digital techniques.

Back dropped by a cloudless blue sky, Space Shuttle Endeavor stands ready for launch after the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure, at left. The orbiter launched that night carrying the STS-97 crew of five. The STS-97 mission's primary objective was the delivery, assembly, and activation of the U.S. electrical power system onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The electrical power system, which is built into a 73-meter (240-foot) long solar array structure, consists of solar arrays, radiators, batteries, and electronics. The entire 15.4-metric ton (17-ton) package is called the P6 Integrated Truss Segment, and is the heaviest and largest element yet delivered to the station aboard a space shuttle. The electric system will eventually provide the power necessary for the first ISS crews to live and work in the U.S. segment.

The crew assigned to the STS-41G mission included (seated left to right) Jon A. McBride, pilot; mission specialists Sally K. Ride, Kathryn D. Sullivan, and David C. Leestma. Standing in the rear, left to right, are payload specialists Marc Garneau, and Paul D. Scully-Power. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 5, 1984 at 7:03:00 am (EDT), the STS-41G mission marked the first flight to include two women. Sullivan was the first woman to walk in space. The crew deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), connected the components of the Orbital Refueling System (ORS) which demonstrated the possibility of refueling satellites in orbit, and carried 3 experiments of the Office of Space Terrestrial Applications-3 (OSTA-3).

The mission insignia for NASA's STS-31 mission features the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in its observing configuration against a background of the universe it will study. The cosmos includes a stylistic depiction of galaxies in recognition of the contribution made by Sir Edwin Hubble to our understanding of the nature of galaxies and the expansion of the universe. The STS-31 crew points out that is it in honor of Hubble's work that this great observatory in space bears his name. The depicted Space Shuttle trails a spectrum symbolic of both the red shift observations that were so important to Hubble's work and new information which will be obtained with the HST. Encircling the art work, designed by the crew, are the names of its members.

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-35, launched December 2, 1990, was the ASTRO-1 Observatory. Designed for round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy, ASTRO-1 featured a collection of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo- Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT). Ultraviolet telescopes mounted on Spacelab elements in cargo bay were to be operated in shifts by flight crew. Loss of both data display units (used for pointing telescopes and operating experiments) during mission impacted crew-aiming procedures and forced ground teams at Marshall Space Flight Center to aim ultraviolet telescopes with fine-tuning by flight crew. BBXRT, also mounted in cargo bay, was directed from outset by ground-based operators at Goddard Space Flight Center. This is the logo or emblem that was designed to represent the ASTRO-1 payload.

This photograph shows the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank for the Space Shuttle external tank (ET) being assembled in the weld assembly area of the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF). The ET provides liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Shuttle's three main engines during the first eight 8.5 minutes of flight. At 154-feet long and more than 27-feet in diameter, the ET is the largest component of the Space Shuttle, the structural backbone of the entire Shuttle system, and the only part of the vehicle that is not reusable. The ET is manufactured at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Martin Marietta Corporation under management of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

This photograph shows a liquid oxygen tank for the Shuttle External Tank (ET) during a hydroelastic modal survey test at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The ET provides liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Shuttle's three main engines during the first 8.5 minutes of flight. At 154-feet long and more than 27-feet in diameter, the ET is the largest component of the Space Shuttle, the structural backbone of the entire Shuttle system, and is the only part of the vehicle that is not reusable. The ET is manufactured at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Martin Marietta Corporation under management of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Five NASA astronauts and a Canadian payload specialist pause from their training schedule to pose for the traditional crew portrait for their mission, STS-85. In front are astronauts Curtis L. Brown, Jr. (right), mission commander, and Kent V. Rominger, pilot. On the back row, from the left, are astronauts Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., Stephen K. Robinson, and N. Jan Davis, all mission specialists, along with the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) payload specialist, Bjarni Tryggvason. The five launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on August 7, 1997 at 10:41:00 a.m. (EDT). Major payloads included the satellite known as Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 CRISTA-SPAS-02. CRISTA; a Japanese Manipulator Flight Development (MFD); the Technology Applications and Science (TAS-01); and the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-02).

This is a view of the Russian Mir Space Station photographed by a crewmember of the fifth Shuttle/Mir docking mission, STS-81. The image shows: upper center - Progress supply vehicle, Kvant-1 module, and Core module; center left - Priroda module; center right - Spektr module; bottom left - Kvant-2 module; bottom center - Soyuz; and bottom right - Kristall module and Docking module. The Progress was an unmarned, automated version of the Soyuz crew transfer vehicle, designed to resupply the Mir. The Kvant-1 provided research in the physics of galaxies, quasars, and neutron stars, by measuring electromagnetic spectra and x-ray emissions. The Core module served as the heart of the space station and contained the primary living and working areas, life support, and power, as well as the main computer, communications, and control equipment. Priroda's main purpose was Earth remote sensing. The Spektr module provided Earth observation. It also supported research into biotechnology, life sciences, materials science, and space technologies. American astronauts used the Spektr as their living quarters. Kvant-2 was a scientific and airlock module, providing biological research, Earth observations, and EVA (extravehicular activity) capability. The Soyuz typically ferried three crewmembers to and from the Mir. A main purpose of the Kristall module was to develop biological and materials production technologies in the space environment. The Docking module made it possible for the Space Shuttle to dock easily with the Mir. The journey of the 15-year-old Russian Mir Space Station ended March 23, 2001, as the Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and fell into the south Pacific Ocean.

The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was designed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to test the performance of spacecraft materials, components, and systems that have been exposed to the environment of micrometeoroids and space debris for an extended period of time. The LDEF proved invaluable to the development of future spacecraft and the International Space Station (ISS). The LDEF carried 57 science and technology experiments, the work of more than 200 investigators. MSFC`s experiments included: Trapped Proton Energy Determination to determine protons trapped in the Earth's magnetic field and the impact of radiation particles; Linear Energy Transfer Spectrum Measurement Experiment which measures the linear energy transfer spectrum behind different shielding configurations; Atomic oxygen-Simulated Out-gassing, an experiment that exposes thermal control surfaces to atomic oxygen to measure the damaging out-gassed products; Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment to determine the effects of the near-Earth orbital environment and the shuttle induced environment on spacecraft thermal control surfaces; Transverse Flat-Plate Heat Pipe Experiment, to evaluate the zero-gravity performance of a number of transverse flat plate heat pipe modules and their ability to transport large quantities of heat; Solar Array Materials Passive LDEF Experiment to examine the effects of space on mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of lightweight solar array materials; and the Effects of Solar Radiation on Glasses. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger's STS-41C mission April 6, 1984, the LDEF remained in orbit for five years until January 1990 when it was retrieved by the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia STS-32 mission and brought back to Earth for close examination and analysis.

In the STS-89 crew insignia, the link between the United States and Russia is symbolically represented by the Space Shuttle Endeavour and Russia's Mir Space Station orbiting above the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska. The success of the joint United States-Russian missions is depicted by the Space Shuttle and Mir colored by the rising sun in the background. A shadowed representation of the International Space Station (ISS) rising with the sun represents the future program for which the Shuttle-Mir missions are prototypes. The inside rim of the insignia describes the outline of the number eight representing STS-89 as the eighth Shuttle/Mir docking mission. The nine stars represent the nine joint missions to be flown of the program and when combined with the number eight in the rim, reflect the mission number. The nine stars also symbolize the children of the crew members who will be the future beneficiaries of the joint development work of the space programs of the two countries. Along the rim are the crew members' names with David A. Wolf's name on the left and Andrew S. W. Thomas' name on the right, the returning and upgoing cosmonaut guest researcher crew members. In between and at the bottom is the name of Salizan S. Sharipov, payload specialist representing Russian Space Agency (RSA), in Cyrillic alphabet. The other crew members are Terrence W. Wilcutt, commander; Joe F. Edwards, Jr., pilot; and mission specialists Michael P. Anderson, Bonnie J. Dunbar, and James F. Reilly. The red, white and blue of the rim reflect the colors of the American and Russian flags which are also represented in the rim on either side of the joined spacecraft.

A student tries to insert plastic blocks into the correct holes in a baby's toy. The seemingly trivial task becomes nearly impossible when the prism glasses he is wearing reverse left and right. This is similar to tests used to measure how astronauts adapt to space and then readapt to Earth. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.

A Great Blue Heron seems oblivious to the tremendous spectacle of light and sound generated by a Shuttle liftoff, as the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-73) soars skyward from Launch Pad 39B. Columbia's seven member crew's mission included continuing experimentation in the Marshall managed payloads including the United States Microgravity Laboratory 2 (USML-2) and the keel-mounted accelerometer that characterizes the very low frequency acceleration environment of the orbiter payload bay during space flight, known as the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE).

The principal theme of the STS-37 patch, designed by astronaut crewmembers, is the primary payload -- Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) -- and its relationship to the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle and the GRO are both depicted on the patch and are connected by a large gamma. The gamma symbolizes both the quest for gamma rays by GRO as well as the importance of the relationship between the manned and unmanned elements of the United States space program. The Earth background shows the southern portion of the United States under a partial cloud cover while the two fields of three and seven stars, respectively, refer to the STS-37 mission designation.

The STS-52 insignia, designed by the mission’s crew members, features a large gold star to symbolize the crew's mission on the frontiers of space. A gold star is often used to symbolize the frontier period of the American West. The red star in the shape of the Greek letter lambda represents both the laser measurements taken from the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS II) and the Lambda Point Experiment, which was part of the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-l). The remote manipulator and maple leaf are emblematic of the Canadian payload specialist who conducted a series of Canadian flight experiments (CANEX-2), including the Space Vision System test.

The STS-32 patch, designed by the five crewmembers for the scheduled December 1989 space mission, depicts the Space Shuttle orbiter rendezvousing with the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite from above. The Syncom satellite is successfully deployed and on its way to geosynchronous orbit. Five stars have been arranged so that three are one side of the orbiter and two on the other to form the number 32. The seven major rays of the sun are in remembrance of the crewmembers for STS 51-L.

Astronauts included in the STS-61 crew portrait include (standing in rear left to right) Richard O. Covey, commander; and mission specialists Jeffrey A. Hoffman, and Thomas D. Akers. Seated left to right are Kenneth D. Bowersox, pilot; Kathryn C. Thornton, mission specialist; F. Story Musgrave, payload commander; and Claude Nicollier, mission specialist. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on December 2, 1993 at 4:27:00 am (EST), the STS-61 mission was the first Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission, and the last mission of 1993.

The crew assigned to the STS-77 mission included (seated left to right) Curtis L. Brown, pilot; and John H. Casper, commander. Standing, left to right, are mission specialists Daniel W. Bursch, Mario Runco, Marc Garneau (CSA), and Andrew S. W. Thomas. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on May 19, 1996 at 6:30:00 am (EDT), the STS-77 mission carried three primary payloads; the SPACEHAB-4 pressurized research module, the Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE) mounted on a Spartan 207 free-flyer, and a suite of four technology demonstration experiments known as Technology Experiments for Advancing Missions in Space (TEAMS).

The 66th Space Shuttle flight began with a nearly on-time liftoff of the Orbiter Atlantis (STS-66) into the clear Florida skies. Atlantis returned to space after a nearly two year absence. The plarned 11-day flight will continue NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, a comprehensive international collaboration to study how Earth's environment is changing and how human beings affect that change. Primary payloads on this flight included the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3), making its third flight, and the German-built Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS), which was deployed and retrieved during the mission.

As early as September 1972, the Marshall Space Flight Center arnounced plans for a series of 20 water-entry simulation tests with a solid-fueled rocket casing assembly. The tests would provide valuable data for assessment of solid rocket booster parachute water recovery and aid in preliminary solid rocket motor design.

This Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42) onboard photo shows Canadian Payload Specialist Roberta Bondar getting into the Microgravity Vestibular Investigation (MVI) chair to begin an experiment in the International Microgravity Lab-1 (IML-1) Science Module. The (MVI) chair was designed to test the crew member's visual and vestibular responses to head and body movements.

The STS-99 crew members designed the flight insignia for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), the most ambitious Earth mapping mission to date. Two radar anternas, one located in the Shuttle bay and the other located on the end of a 60-meter deployable mast, was used during the mission to map Earth's features. The goal was to provide a 3-dimensional topographic map of the world's surface up to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. In the patch, the clear portion of Earth illustrates the radar beams penetrating its cloudy atmosphere and the unique understanding of the home planet that is provided by space travel. The grid on Earth reflects the mapping character of the SRTM mission. The patch depicts the Space Shuttle Endeavour orbiting Earth in a star spangled universe. The rainbow along Earth's horizon resembles an orbital sunrise. The crew deems the bright colors of the rainbow as symbolic of the bright future ahead because of human beings' venturing into space. The crew of six launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on February 11, 2000 and completed 222 hours of around the clock radar mapping gathering enough information to fill more than 20,000 CDs.

This photograph was taken during the final assembly phase of the Space Shuttle light weight external tanks (LWT) 5, 6, and 7 at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. The giant cylinder, higher than a 15-story building, with a length of 154-feet (47-meters) and a diameter of 27.5-feet (8.4-meters), is the largest single piece of the Space Shuttle. During launch, the external tank (ET) acts as a backbone for the orbiter and solid rocket boosters. In separate, internal pressurized tank sections, the ET holds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer for the Shuttle's three main engines. During launch, the ET feeds the fuel under pressure through 17-inch (43.2-centimeter) ducts which branch off into smaller lines that feed directly into the main engines. Some 64,000 gallons (242,260 liters) of fuel are consumed by the main engines each minute. Machined from aluminum alloys, the Space Shuttle's ET is the only part of the launch vehicle that currently is not reused. After its 526,000 gallons (1,991,071 liters) of propellants are consumed during the first 8.5 minutes of flight, it is jettisoned from the orbiter and breaks up in the upper atmosphere, its pieces falling into remote ocean waters. The Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for developing the ET

This is a cutaway illustration of the Space Shuttle external tank (ET) with callouts. The giant cylinder, higher than a 15-story building, with a length of 154-feet (47-meters) and a diameter of 27.5-feet (8.4-meters), is the largest single piece of the Space Shuttle. During launch, the ET also acts as a backbone for the orbiter and solid rocket boosters. Separate pressurized tank sections within the external tank hold the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer for the Shuttle's three main engines. During launch, the ET feeds the fuel under pressure through 17-inch (43.2-centimeter) ducts that branch off into smaller lines that feed directly into the main engines. The main engines consume 64,000 gallons (242,260 liters) of fuel each minute. Machined from aluminum alloys, the Space Shuttle's external tank is currently the only part of the launch vehicle that is not reused. After its 526,000-gallons (1,991,071 liters) of propellants are consumed during the first 8.5-minutes of flight, it is jettisoned from the orbiter and breaks up in the upper atmosphere, its pieces falling into remote ocean waters. The Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for developing the ET.

This is a photograph of the free-flying Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (SMMS), or Solar Max, as seen by the approaching Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger STS-41C mission. Launched April 6, 1984, one of the goals of the STS-41C mission was to repair the damaged Solar Max. The original plan was to make an excursion out to the SMMS for capture to make necessary repairs, however, this attempted feat was unsuccessful. It was necessary to capture the satellite via the orbiter's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) and secure it into the cargo bay in order to perform the repairs, which included replacing the altitude control system and the coronograph/polarimeter electronics box. The SMMS was originally launched into space via the Delta Rocket in February 1980, with the purpose to provide a means of studying solar flares during the most active part of the current sunspot cycle. Dr. Einar Tandberg-Hanssen of Marshall Space Flight Center's Space Sciences Lab was principal investigator for the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter, one of the seven experiments on the Solar Max.

The orbiter Atlantis (STS-45) touched down on Runway 33 of Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, bringing to a conclusion Mission STS-45. On board were seven crew members and the Atmospheric Lab for Applications and Sciences 1 (ATLAS-1).

A Virginia student wears gloves to simulate the awkward feel and dexterity that astronauts experience when working in spacesuits. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107. (Digital camera image; no film original.

An STS-75 onboard photo of the Tethered Satellite System-1 Reflight (TSS-1R) atop its extended boom. The TSS-1R was a reflight of TSS-1, which was flown on the Space Shuttle in July/August, 1992. Building on the knowledge gained on the TSS-1 about tether dynamics, the TSS will circle the Earth at an altitude of 296 kilometers (184 miles), placing the tether system well within the rarefield, electrically charged layer of the atmosphere known as the ionosphere. The satellite was plarned to be deployed 20.7 kilometers (12.9 miles) above the Shuttle. The conducting tether, generating high voltage and electrical currents as it moves through the ionosphere cutting magnetic field lines, would allow scientists to examine the electrodynamics of a conducting tether system. In addition, the TSS would increase our understanding of physical processes in the near-Earth space environment, such as plasma waves and currents. The tether on the TSS broke as the Satellite was nearing the full extent of its 12.5 mile deployment from the Shuttle. The TSS was a cooperative development effort by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and NASA, and was managed by scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

NASA Chief Scientist Shannon Lucid, a former astronaut, introduces Northern Virginia students to the research that will be conducted on the STS-107 mission. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.

Carla Rosenberg of the National Center for Microgravity Research explains the operation of the Middeck Glovebox to a middle school student. The activity was part of the Space Research and You education event held by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research on June 25, 2002, in Arlington, VA, to highlight the research that will be conducted on STS-107.

The materials in this guide were designed to help teachers and other adults maximize the learning experiences and other educational events scheduled on space shuttle Mission 51-L. They include: (1) a description of the live lessons to be conducted by Christa McAuliffe; (2) teaching-related events of Mission 51-L; (3) a list of key mission-related…

This STS-80 onboard photograph shows the Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer-Shuttle Pallet Satellite II (ORFEUS-SPAS II), photographed during approach by the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia for retrieval. Built by the German Space Agency, DARA, the ORFEUS-SPAS II, a free-flying satellite, was dedicated to astronomical observations at very short wavelengths to: investigate the nature of hot stellar atmospheres, investigate the cooling mechanisms of white dwarf stars, determine the nature of accretion disks around collapsed stars, investigate supernova remnants, and investigate the interstellar medium and potential star-forming regions. Some 422 observations of almost 150 astronomical objects were completed, including the Moon, nearby stars, distant Milky Way stars, stars in other galaxies, active galaxies, and quasar 3C273. The STS-80 mission was launched November 19, 1996.

The TELESAT-1, also known as ANIK C-1, satellite is being released from the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery during STS-51D, the 16th Shuttle mission. TELESAT-1 is a communication satellite built for Telesat Canada to provide voice and TV coverage of the Earth stations to trans-Canada network. Also shows in this photograph is an anterna for SYNCOM IV-3, also known as LEASAT-3, folded in a stowage. The SYNCOM is the Hughes Geosynchronous Communication Satellite and provides communication services from geosynchronous orbits principally to the U.S. Government. Both satellites were launched on April 12, 1985, aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery.

The crew patch of STS-73, the second flight of the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2), depicts the Space Shuttle Columbia in the vastness of space. In the foreground are the classic regular polyhedrons that were investigated by Plato and later Euclid. The Pythagoreans were also fascinated by the symmetrical three-dimensional objects whose sides are the same regular polygon. The tetrahedron, the cube, the octahedron, and the icosahedron were each associated with the Natural Elements of that time: fire (on this mission represented as combustion science); Earth (crystallography), air and water (fluid physics). An additional icon shown as the infinity symbol was added to further convey the discipline of fluid mechanics. The shape of the emblem represents a fifth polyhedron, a dodecahedron, which the Pythagoreans thought corresponded to a fifth element that represented the cosmos.

Workmen in the Dynamic Test Stand lowered the nose cone into place to complete stacking of the left side of the solid rocket booster (SRB) in the Dynamic Test Stand at the east test area of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The SRB would be attached to the external tank (ET) and then the orbiter later for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test (MVGVT), that resumed in October 1978. The stacking of a complete Shuttle in the Dynamic Test Stand allowed test engineers to perform ground vibration testing on the Shuttle in its liftoff configuration. The purpose of the MVGVT was to verify that the Space Shuttle would perform as predicted during launch. The platforms inside the Dynamic Test Stand were modified to accommodate two SRB'S to which the ET was attached.

This photograph shows stacking of the left side of the solid rocket booster (SRB) segments in the Dynamic Test Stand at the east test area of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Staging shown here are the aft skirt, aft segment, and aft center segment. The SRB was attached to the external tank (ET) and then the orbiter later for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test (MVGVT), that resumed in October 1978. The stacking of a complete Shuttle in the Dynamic Test Stand allowed test engineers to perform ground vibration testing on the Shuttle in its liftoff configuration. The purpose of the MVGVT is to verify that the Space Shuttle would perform as predicted during launch. The platforms inside the Dynamic Test Stand were modified to accommodate two SRB's to which the ET was attached.

This photograph shows the left side of the solid rocket booster (SRB) segment as it awaits being mated to the nose cone and forward skirt in the Dynamic Test Stand at the east test area of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The SRB would be attached to the external tank (ET) and then the orbiter later for the Mated Vertical Ground Vibration Test (MVGVT), that resumed in October 1978. The stacking of a complete Shuttle in the Dynamic Test Stand allowed test engineers to perform ground vibration testing on the Shuttle in its liftoff configuration. The purpose of the MVGVT was to verify that the Space Shuttle would perform as predicted during launch. The platforms inside the Dynamic Test Stand were modified to accommodate two SRB's to which the ET was attached.

The STS-41 crew patch, designed by the five astronaut crewmembers, depicts the Space Shuttle orbiting Earth after deployment of its primary payload -- the Ulysses satellite. The orbiter is shown passing over the southeastern United States, representative of its 28-degree inclination orbit. Ulysses, the Solar Exploration Satellite, as the fastest man-made object in the universe, traveling at 30 miles per second (over 100,000 mph) is represented by the streaking silver teardrop passing over the sun. Ulysses' path is depicted by the bright red spiral originating from the Shuttle cargo bay. The three-legged trajectory, extending out the payload bay, is symbolic of the astronaut logo and is in honor of those who have given their lives in the conquest of space. The five stars, four gold and one silver, represent STS-41 and each of its crewmembers.

Designed by the mission crew members, the STS-66 emblem depicts the Space Shuttle Atlantis launching into Earth orbit to study global environmental change. The payload for the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3) and complementary experiments were part of a continuing study of the atmosphere and the Sun's influence on it. The Space Shuttle is trailed by gold plumes representing the astronaut symbol and is superimposed over Earth, much of which is visible from the flight's high inclination orbit. Sensitive instruments aboard the ATLAS pallet in the Shuttle payload bay and on the free-flying Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmospheric-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CHRISTA-SPAS) that gazed down on Earth and toward the Sun, are illustrated by the stylized sunrise and visible spectrum.

The STS-29 patch was designed to capture and represent the energy and dynamic nature of this nation's space program as America continues to look to the future. The folded ribbon border, the first of its kind in the Shuttle patch series, gives a sense of three dimensional depth to the emblem. The stylistic orbital maneuvering system (ONS) burn symbolizes the powerful forward momentum of the Shuttle and a continuing determination to explore the frontiers of space. The colors of the U.S. flag are represented in the patch's basic red, white, and blue background. In the border, the seven stars between the STS-29 crew names are a tribute to the crew of Challenger.

The Space Shuttle External Tank 120 is shown here during transfer in NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Slated for launch on the Orbiter Discovery scheduled for next Spring, the tank will be erected vertically in preparation for its new foam application process on the liquid hydrogen tank-to-inter tank flange area, a tank structural connection point. The foam will be applied with an enhanced finishing procedure that requires two technicians, one for a new mold-injection procedure to the intertank’s ribbing and one for real-time videotaped surveillance of the process. Marshall Space Flight Center played a significant role in the development of the new application process designed to replace the possible debris shedding source previously used.

The Space Shuttle External Tank 120 is shown here in its vertical position in NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Slated for launch on the Orbiter Discovery scheduled for next Spring, the tank is in position for its new foam application process on the liquid hydrogen tank-to-inter tank flange area, a tank structural connection point. The foam will be applied with an enhanced finishing procedure that requires two technicians, one for a new mold-injection procedure to the intertank’s ribbing and one for real-time videotaped surveillance of the process. Marshall Space Flight Center played a significant role in the development of the new application process designed to replace the possible debris shedding source previously used.

The STS-95 patch, designed by the crew, is intended to reflect the scientific, engineering, and historic elements of the mission. The Space Shuttle Discovery is shown rising over the sunlit Earth limb, representing the global benefits of the mission science and the solar science objectives of the Spartan Satellite. The bold number '7' signifies the seven members of Discovery's crew and also represents a historical link to the original seven Mercury astronauts. The STS-95 crew member John Glenn's first orbital flight is represented by the Friendship 7 capsule. The rocket plumes symbolize the three major fields of science represented by the mission payloads: microgravity material science, medical research for humans on Earth and in space, and astronomy.

Five astronauts and two payload specialists take a break in training for the Neurolab mission to pause for a crew portrait. The Spacelab mission was conducted aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-90 which launched on April 17, 1998. Astronauts Richard A. Searfoss, commander (right front); and Scott D. Altman, pilot (left front). Other crew members (back row, left to right) are James A. (Jim) Pawelczyk, Ph.D., payload specialist; and astronauts Richard M. Linnehan, Kathryn P. Hire, and Dafydd R. (Dave) Williams, all mission specialists; along with payload specialist Jay C. Buckey, Jr., MD. Linnehan and Williams, alumnus of the 1995 class of astronaut candidates (ASCAN), represents the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Astronaut Mark Lee floats freely as he tests the new backpack called the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system. SAFER is designed for use in the event a crew member becomes untethered while conducting an EVA. The STS-64 mission marked the first untethered U.S. EVA in 10 years, and was launched on September 9, 1994, aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery.

The crew assigned to the STS-51C mission included (kneeling in front left to right) Loren J. Schriver, pilot; and Thomas K. Mattingly, II, commander. Standing, left to right, are Gary E. Payton, payload specialist; and mission specialists James F. Buchli, and Ellison L. Onzuka. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on January 24, 1985 at 2:50:00 pm (EST), the STS-51C was the first mission dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD).

The STS-53 crew portrait included astronauts (front left to right): Guion S. Bluford, and James S. Voss, mission specialists. On the back row, left to right, are David M. Walker, commander; Robert D. Cabana, Pilot; and Michael R. (Rick) Clifford, mission specialist. The crew launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on December 2, 1992 at 8:24:00 am (EST). This mission marked the final classified shuttle flight for the Department of Defense (DOD).

The crew assigned to the STS-51J mission included (seated left to right) Robert L. Stewart, mission specialist; Karol J. Bobko, commander; and Ronald J. Grabe, pilot. On the back row, left to right, are mission specialists David C. Hilmers, and Major Willliam A, Pailles (USAF). Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on October 3, 1985 at 11:15:30 am (EDT), the STS-51J mission was the second mission dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD).

The STS-27 crew portrait features 5 astronauts. Seated, left to right, are Jerry L. Ross, mission specialist; Guy S. Gardner, pilot; and Robert L. Gibson, commander. On the back row, left to right, are mission specialists Richard M. Mullane, and William M. Shepherd. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on December 2, 1988 at 9:30:34 am (EST), the STS-27 mission was the third mission dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD).

In this view looking northwest over the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise is seen heading South on Rideout Road near the Redstone Arsenal Fire Station as it is being transported to MSFC's building 4755 for later Mated Vertical Ground Vibration tests (MVGVT) at MSFC's Dynamic Test Stand. The tests marked the first time ever that the entire shuttle complement (including Orbiter, external tank, and solid rocket boosters) were mated vertically.

Columbia, which opened the era of the Space Transportation System with four orbital flight tests, is featured in re-entry in the emblem designed by the STS-61C crew representing the seven team members who manned the vehicle for its seventh STS mission. Gold lettering against black background honors the astronaut crewmembers on the delta pattern surrounding colorful re-entry shock waves, and the payload specialists are honored similarly below the sphere

Five astronauts composed the STS-28 crew. Seated from left to right are Richard N. (Dick) Richards, pilot; Brewster H. Shaw, commander; and David C. Leestma, mission specialist 2. Standing, from left to right , are Mark N. Brown, mission specialist 3; and James C. (Jim) Adamson, mission specialist 1. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on August 8, 1989, the STS-28 mission was the 4th mission dedicated to the Department of Defense.

The STS-48 crew portrait includes (front row left to right): Mark N. Brown, mission specialist; John O. Creighton, commander; and Kenneth S. Reightler, pilot. Pictured on the back row (left to right) are mission specialists Charles D. (Sam) Gemar, and James F. Buchli. The crew of five launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on September 12, 1991 at 7:11:04 pm (EDT). The primary payload of the mission was the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).

A four-million-mile journey draws to a flawless ending as the orbiter Discovery (STS-56) lands at Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility. Aboard for the second shuttle mission of 1993 were a crew of five and the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science 2 (ATLAS 2), the second in a series of missions to study the sun's energy output and Earth's middle atmosphere chemical make-up, and how these factors affect levels of ozone.

One of the key tests in the effort to return the Space Shuttle to flight following the Challenger accident was testing the development Motor-8 (DM-8). The 126-foot long, 1.2-million-pound motor, designated DM-8, underwent a full-duration horizontal test firing for two minutes at the Thiokol test facility in Utah. It was fitted with more than 500 instruments to measure such things as acceleration, pressure, deflection thrust, strain, temperature, and electrical properties.

Astronauts John M. Grunsfeld (left), STS-109 payload commander, and Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for upcoming duties aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps to prepare the entire team to perform its duties for the fourth Hubble Space Telescope Servicing mission. The most familiar form of virtual reality technology is some form of headpiece, which fits over your eyes and displays a three dimensional computerized image of another place. Turn your head left and right, and you see what would be to your sides; turn around, and you see what might be sneaking up on you. An important part of the technology is some type of data glove that you use to propel yourself through the virtual world. Currently, the medical community is using the new technologies in four major ways: To see parts of the body more accurately, for study, to make better diagnosis of disease and to plan surgery in more detail; to obtain a more accurate picture of a procedure during surgery; to perform more types of surgery with the most noninvasive, accurate methods possible; and to model interactions among molecules at a molecular level.

Designed by members of the flight crew, the STS-58 insignia depicts the Space Shuttle Columbia with a Spacelab module in its payload bay in orbit around Earth. The Spacelab and the lettering Spacelab Life Sciences ll highlight the primary mission of the second Space Shuttle flight dedicated to life sciences research. An Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) support pallet is shown in the aft payload bay, stressing the scheduled two-week duration of the longest Space Shuttle mission to date. The hexagonal shape of the patch depicts the carbon ring, a molecule common to all living organisms. Encircling the inner border of the patch is the double helix of DNA, representing the genetic basis of life. Its yellow background represents the sun, energy source for all life on Earth. Both medical and veterinary caducei are shown to represent the STS- 58 life sciences experiments. The position of the spacecraft in orbit about Earth with the United States in the background symbolizes the ongoing support of the American people for scientific research intended to benefit all mankind.

This STS-29 mission onboard photo depicts the External Tank (ET) falling toward the ocean after separation from the Shuttle orbiter Discovery. The giant cylinder, higher than a 15-story building, with a length of 154-feet (47-meters) and a diameter of 27,5-feet (8.4-meters), is the largest single piece of the Space Shuttle. During launch, the ET also acts as a backbone for the orbiter and solid rocket boosters. In separate, internal pressurized tank sections, the ET holds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer for the Shuttle's three main engines. During launch, the ET feeds the fuel under pressure through 17-inch (43.2-centimeter) ducts which branch off into smaller lines that feed directly into the main engines. Some 64,000 gallons (242,260 liters) of fuel are consumed by the main engines each minute. Machined from aluminum alloys, the Space Shuttle's ET is the only part of the launch vehicle that currently is not reused. After its 526,000 gallons (1,991,071 liters) of propellants are consumed during the first 8.5 minutes of flight, it is jettisoned from the orbiter and breaks up in the upper atmosphere, its pieces falling into remote ocean waters. The Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for developing the ET.

The STS-105 crew patch symbolizes the exchange of the Expedition Two and Expedition Three crews aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The three gold stars near the ascending orbiter represent the U.S. commanded Expedition Three Crew journeying into space, while the two gold stars near the descending orbiter represent the Russian commanded Expedition Two crew on their return to Earth. The ascending and descending Orbiters form a circle that represents both the crew rotation and the continuous presence in space aboard the station. The plumes of each orbiter represent the flags of the U.S. and Russia, symbolizing the close cooperation between the two nations. The Astronaut office symbol, a star with three rays of light, depicts the unbroken link between Earth and the brightest star on the horizon, the ISS. The names of Discovery's crew of four astronauts are shown along the border of the patch while the names of the Expedition crews are shown on the chevron at the bottom of the patch.

Launched April 6, 1984, one of the goals of the STS-41C mission was to repair the damaged free-flying Solar Maximum Mission Satellite (SMMS), or Solar Max. The original plan was to make an excursion out to the SMMS and capture it for necessary repairs. Pictured is Mission Specialist George Nelson approaching the damaged satellite in a capture attempt. This attempted feat was unsuccessful. It was necessary to capture the satellite via the orbiter's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) and secure it into the cargo bay in order to perform the repairs, which included replacing the altitude control system and the coronograph/polarimeter electronics box. The SMMS was originally launched into space via the Delta Rocket in February 1980, with the purpose to provide a means of studying solar flares during the most active part of the current sunspot cycle. Dr. Einar Tandberg-Hanssen of Marshall Space Flight Center's Space Sciences Lab was principal investigator for the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter, one of the seven experiments of the Solar Max.

A crewmember aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (STS-46) used a 70mm handheld camera to capture this medium closeup view of early operations with the Tethered Satellite System (TSS). TSS-1 is being deployed from its boom as it is perched above the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting Shuttle circling the Earth at an altitude of 296 kilometers (184 miles), the TSS-1 will be well within the tenuous, electrically charged layer of the atmosphere known as the ionosphere. There, a satellite attached to the orbiter by a thin conducting cord, or tether, will be reeled from the Shuttle payload bay. On this mission the satellite was plarned to be deployed 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) above the Shuttle. The conducting tether will generate high voltage and electrical currents as it moves through the atmosphere allowing scientists to examine the electrodynamics of a conducting tether system. These studies will not only increase our understanding of physical processes in the near-Earth space environment, but will also help provide an explanation for events witnessed elsewhere in the solar system. The crew of the STS-46 mission were unable to reel the satellite as planned. After several unsuccessful attempts, they were only able to extend the satellite 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles). The TSS was a cooperative development effort by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and NASA.

This STS-46 onboard photo is of the Tethered Satellite System-1 (TSS-1) being deployed from its boom as it is perched above the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis. Circling the Earth at an altitude of 296 kilometers (184 miles), the TSS-1 will be well within the tenuous, electrically charged layer of the atmosphere known as the ionosphere. There, a satellite attached to the orbiter by a thin conducting cord, or tether, will be reeled from the Shuttle payload bay. On this mission the satellite was plarned to be deployed 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) above the Shuttle. The conducting tether will generate high voltage and electrical currents as it moves through the atmosphere allowing scientists to examine the electrodynamics of a conducting tether system. These studies will not only increase our understanding of physical processes in the near-Earth space environment, but will also help provide an explanation for events witnessed elsewhere in the solar system. The crew of the STS-46 mission were unable to reel the satellite as planned. After several unsuccessful attempts, they were only able to extend the satellite 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles). The TSS was a cooperative development effort by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and NASA.

In this photograph, astronaut Carl Walz performs the Performance Assessment Workstation (PAWS) experiment at the flight deck of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia during the STS-65 mission. Present day astronauts are subject to a variety of stresses during spaceflight. These include microgravity, physical isolation, confinement, lack of privacy, fatigue, and changing work/rest cycles. The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effects of microgravity upon thinking skills critical to the success of operational tasks in space. The principle objective is to distinguish between the effects of microgravity on specific information-processing skills affecting performance and those of fatigue caused by long work periods. To measure these skills, the investigators use a set of computerized performance tests called the Performance Assessment Workstation, which is based on current theoretical models of human performance. The tests were selected by analyzing tasks related to space missions and their hypothesized sensitivity to microgravity. Multiple subjective measures of cumulative fatigue and changing mood states are also included for interpreting performance data.

This photograph shows the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory being released from the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991. The GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful mission in June 2000. For nearly 9 years, GRO's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center, kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts that had puzzled them for decades. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of star, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bursts of gamma-rays ranging in duration from fractions of a second to minutes. In January 1999, the instrument, via the Internet, cued a computer-controlled telescope at Las Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, within 20 seconds of registering a burst. With this capability, the gamma-ray experiment came to serve as a gamma-ray burst alert for the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and major gound-based observatories around the world. Thirty-seven universities, observatories, and NASA centers in 19 states, and 11 more institutions in Europe and Russia, participated in BATSE's science program.

The mission patch for STS-85 is designed to reflect the broad range of science and engineering payloads on the flight. The primary objectives of the mission were to measure chemical constituents in Earth’s atmosphere with a free-flying satellite and to flight-test a new Japanese robotic arm designed for use on the International Space Station (ISS). STS-85 was the second flight of the satellite known as Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 CRISTA-SPAS-02. CRISTA, depicted on the right side of the patch pointing its trio of infrared telescopes at Earth’s atmosphere, stands for Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere. The high inclination orbit is shown as a yellow band over Earth’s northern latitudes. In the Space Shuttle Discovery’s open payload bay an enlarged version of the Japanese National Space Development Agency’s (NASDA) Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD) robotic arm is shown. Also shown in the payload bay are two sets of multi-science experiments: the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-02) nearest the tail and the Technology Applications and Science (TAS-01) payload. Jupiter and three stars are shown to represent sources of ultraviolet energy in the universe. Comet Hale-Bopp, which was visible from Earth during the mission, is depicted at upper right. The left side of the patch symbolizes daytime operations over the Northern Hemisphere of Earth and the solar science objectives of several of the payloads.

The crew assigned to the STS-51I mission included (front row left to right) Joe H. Engle, commander; and Richard O. Covey, pilot. In the center is John M. (Mike) Lounge, mission specialist. On the back row, from left to right, are mission specialists James D. van Hoften, and William F. Fisher. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on August 27, 1985 at 6:58:01 am (EDT), the STS-51I mission’s primary payloads were three communication satellites: the ASC-1 for the American Satellite Company; the AUSSAT-1, an Australian communications satellite; and the SYNCOM-IV-4, the synchronous communications satellite.

The crew assigned to the STS-51A mission included Frederick H. Hauck, commander,who is seated to the right. Standing, left to right, are Dale A. Gardner, mission specialist; David M. Walker, pilot; and mission specialists Anna L. Fisher, and Joseph P. Allen. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on November 8, 1984 at 7:15:00 am (EST), the STS-51A mission deployed the Canadian communications satellite TELLESAT-H (ANIK), and the defense communications satellite SYCOM IV-1 (also known as LEASAT-1). In addition, 2 malfunctioning satellites were retrieved: the PALAPA-B2 and the WESTAR-VI.

The dominant features of the STS-51D emblem are an orbit formed by a Colonial American flag and a Space Shuttle. The flag in orbit signifies the U.S. flag to indicate that it comes from this country and the American people. The original 13- star flag is used to symbolize a continuity of technical achievement and progress since colonial times. The name Discovery preceding the flag represents the spirit of Discovery and exploration of new frontiers which have been a hallmark of American people even before they were formed together as a nation.

The Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-52) thunders off Launch Pad 39B, embarking on a 10-day flight and carrying a crew of six who will deploy the Laser Geodynamic Satellite II (LAGEOS). LAGEOS is a spherical passive satellite covered with reflectors which are illuminated by ground-based lasers to determine precise measurements of the Earth's crustal movements. The other major payload on this mission is the United States Microgravity Payload 1 (USMP-1), where experiments will be conducted by crew members while in low earth orbit (LEO).

The second try works like a charm as the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-56) lifts off from Launch Pad 39B. The first attempt to launch was halted at T-11 seconds on April 6th. Aboard for the second shuttle mission of 1993 were a crew of five and the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science 2 (ATLAS 2), the second in a series of missions to study the sun's energy output and Earth's middle atmosphere chemical make-up, and how these factors affect levels of ozone.

STS-49, the first flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour, lifted off from launch pad 39B on May 7, 1992 at 6:40 pm CDT. The STS-49 mission was the first U.S. orbital flight to feature 4 extravehicular activities (EVAs), and the first flight to involve 3 crew members working simultaneously outside of the spacecraft. The primary objective was the capture and redeployment of the INTELSAT VI (F-3) which was stranded in an unusable orbit since its launch aboard the Titan rocket in March 1990. In this STS-49 onboard photo, Astronaut Kathryn Thornton joins three struts together during her Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA).

Three 34m (110 ft.) diameter Beam Waveguide antennas located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, situated in the Mojave Desert in California. This is one of three complexes which comprise NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN provides radio communications for all of NASA's interplanetary spacecraft and is also utilized for radio astronomy and radar observations of the solar system and the universe.

This is the crew insignia for STS-97 which delivered, assembled, and activated the U.S. electrical power system onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The electrical power system, which is built into a 47-foot integrated truss structure known as P6, consists of solar arrays, radiators, batteries, and electronics. P6 was prepared for subsequent deployments of larger solar arrays and radiator, a critical step in the activation of the electrical power system that will eventually provide the power necessary for the first ISS crews to live and work in the U.S. segment. The crew patch depicts the space shuttle docked to the ISS in low Earth orbit after the activation of the P6 electrical power system. Gold and silver were used to highlight the portion of the ISS that were installed by the STS-97 crew. The sun, central to the design, is the source of energy for the ISS. The crew member names surround the outer border of the patch.

The STS-64 patch depicts the Space Shuttle Discovery in a payload-bay-to-Earth attitude with its primary payload, Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE-1) operating in support of Mission to Planet Earth. LITE-1 is a lidar system that uses a three-wavelength laser, symbolized by the three gold rays emanating from the star in the payload bay that form part of the astronaut symbol. The major objective of the LITE-1 is to gather data about the Earth's troposphere and stratosphere, represented by the clouds and dual-colored Earth limb. A secondary payload on STS-64 is the free-flier SPARTAN 201 satellite shown on the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm post-retrieval. The RMS also operated another payload, Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment (SPIFEX). A newly tested extravehicular activity (EVA) maneuvering device, Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER), represented symbolically by the two small nozzles on the backpacks of the two untethered EVA crew men. The names of the crew members encircle the patch: Astronauts Richard N. Richards, L. Blaine Hammond, Jr., Jerry M. Linenger, Susan J. Helms, Carl J. Meade and Mark C. Lee. The gold or silver stars by each name represent that person's parent service.

This is a view of the video camera mounted on the External Tank (ET) of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (STS-112). The camera provided a view of the front and belly of the orbiter, a portion of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), and ET during the launch. Located high on the ET liquid oxygen tank cable tray, the camera, 6 inches long and resembling a short thin flashlight, is inside an aluminum fairing covered in protective insulating foam. The battery pack and transmitter are contained in an electronics box and mounted in the intertank crossbeam inside the ET. The camera turned on 15 minutes prior to launch and operated for about 15 minutes following liftoff. At liftoff, viewers saw the Shuttle clearing the launch tower and, at 2 minutes after liftoff, saw the right SRB separate from the ET, and ET separation about 8 minutes into the flight. The video was downlinked from the ET during flight to several NASA data-receiving sites and then relayed to the live television broadcast. It provided the STS-112 team an opportunity to monitor the Shuttle's performance from a new angle. Launched on October 7, 2002, Atlantis carried its primary payload, the S1 Truss for the International Space Station.

Sharing this scene with a half-moon is the Tethered Satellite System (TSS), in a photo captured onboard the STS-46. Circling Earth at an altitude of 296 kilometers (184 miles), the TSS-1 will be well within the tenuous, electrically charged layer of the atmosphere known as the ionosphere. There, a satellite attached to the orbiter by a thin conducting cord, or tether, will be reeled from the Shuttle payload bay. On this mission the satellite was plarned to be deployed 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) above the Shuttle. The conducting tether will generate high voltage and electrical currents as it moves through the atmosphere allowing scientists to examine the electrodynamics of a conducting tether system. These studies will not only increase our understanding of physical processes in the near-Earth space environment, but will also help provide an explanation for events witnessed elsewhere in the solar system. The crew of the STS-46 mission were unable to reel the satellite as planned. After several unsuccessful attempts, they were only able to extend the satellite 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles). The TSS was a cooperative development effort by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), and NASA.

STS-49, the first flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour, lifted off from launch pad 39B on May 7, 1992 at 6:40 pm CDT. The STS-49 mission was the first U.S. orbital flight to feature 4 extravehicular activities (EVAs), and the first flight to involve 3 crew members working simultaneously outside of the spacecraft. The primary objective was the capture and redeployment of the INTELSAT VI (F-3), a communication satellite for the International Telecommunication Satellite organization, which was stranded in an unusable orbit since its launch aboard the Titan rocket in March 1990. Recorded with a 35 mm camera inside Endeavour’s cabin, is astronaut Pierre Thuot after his second unsuccessful attempt to affix a specially designed grapple bar to the 4.5 ton INTELSAT VI.

This is a photograph of the solid rocket booster's (SRB's) Qualification Motor-1 (QM-1) being prepared for a static firing in a test stand at the Morton Thiokol Test Site in Wasatch, Utah, showing the aft end of the booster. The twin boosters provide the majority of thrust for the first two minutes of flight, about 5.8 million pounds, augmenting the Shuttle's main propulsion system during liftoff. The major design drivers for the solid rocket motors (SRM's) were high thrust and reuse. The desired thrust was achieved by using state-of-the-art solid propellant and by using a long cylindrical motor with a specific core design that allows the propellant to burn in a carefully controlled marner. Under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the SRM's are provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) engineers test fired a 26-foot long, 100,000-pound-thrust solid rocket motor for 30 seconds at the MSFC east test area, the first test firing of the Modified NASA Motor (M-NASA Motor). The M-NASA Motor was fired in a newly constructed stand. The motor is 48-inches in diameter and was loaded with two propellant cartridges weighing a total of approximately 12,000 pounds. The purpose of the test was to learn more about solid rocket motor insulation and nozzle materials and to provide young engineers additional hands-on expertise in solid rocket motor technology. The test is a part of NASA's Solid Propulsion Integrity Program, that is to provide NASA engineers with the techniques, engineering tools, and computer programs to be able to better design, build, and verify solid rocket motors.

This photograph shows a static firing test of the Solid Rocket Qualification Motor-8 (QM-8) at the Morton Thiokol Test Site in Wasatch, Utah. The twin solid rocket boosters provide the majority of thrust for the first two minutes of flight, about 5.8 million pounds, augmenting the Shuttle's main propulsion system during liftoff. The major design drivers for the solid rocket motors (SRM's) were high thrust and reuse. The desired thrust was achieved by using state-of-the-art solid propellant and by using a long cylindrical motor with a specific core design that allows the propellant to burn in a carefully controlled marner. Under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the SRM's are provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

The structural test article to be used in the solid rocket booster (SRB) structural and load verification tests is being assembled in a high bay building of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The Shuttle's two SRB's are the largest solids ever built and the first designed for refurbishment and reuse. Standing nearly 150-feet high, the twin boosters provide the majority of thrust for the first two minutes of flight, about 5.8 million pounds, augmenting the Shuttle's main propulsion system during liftoff. The major design drivers for the solid rocket motors (SRM's) were high thrust and reuse. The desired thrust was achieved by using state-of-the-art solid propellant and by using a long cylindrical motor with a specific core design that allows the propellant to burn in a carefully controlled marner. At burnout, the boosters separate from the external tank and drop by parachute to the ocean for recovery and subsequent refurbishment.

The solid rocket booster (SRB) structural test article is being installed in the Solid Rocket Booster Test Facility for the structural and load verification test at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The Shuttle's two SRB's are the largest solids ever built and the first designed for refurbishment and reuse. Standing nearly 150-feet high, the twin boosters provide the majority of thrust for the first two minutes of flight, about 5.8 million pounds, augmenting the Shuttle's main propulsion system during liftoff. The major design drivers for the solid rocket motors (SRM's) were high thrust and reuse. The desired thrust was achieved by using state-of-the-art solid propellant and by using a long cylindrical motor with a specific core design that allows the propellant to burn in a carefully controlled marner. At burnout, the boosters separate from the external tank and drop by parachute to the ocean for recovery and subsequent refurbishment.

A forward segment is being lowered into the Transient Pressure Test Article (TPTA) test stand at thw Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) east test area. The TPTA test stand, 14-feet wide, 27-feet long, and 33-feet high, was built in 1987 to provide data to verify the sealing capability of the redesign solid rocket motor (SRM) field and nozzle joints. The test facility applies pressure, temperature, and external loads to a short stack of solid rocket motor hardware. The simulated SRM ignition pressure and temperature transients are achieved by firing a small amount of specially configured solid propellant. The pressure transient is synchronized with external programmable dynamic loads that simulate lift off loads at the external tank attach points. Approximately one million pounds of dead weight on top of the test article simulates the weight of the other Shuttle elements.

A forward segment is being lowered into the Transient Pressure Test Article (TPTA) test stand at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) east test area. The TPTA test stand, 14-feet wide, 27-feet long, and 33-feet high, was built in 1987 to provide data to verify the sealing capability of the redesign solid rocket motor (SRM) field and nozzle joints. The test facility applies pressure, temperature, and external loads to a short stack of solid rocket motor hardware. The simulated SRM ignition pressure and temperature transients are achieved by firing a small amount of specially configured solid propellant. The pressure transient is synchronized with external programmable dynamic loads that simulate lift off loads at the external tank attach points. Approximately one million pounds of dead weight on top of the test article simulates the weight of the other Shuttle elements.

This photograph is a long shot view of a full scale solid rocket motor (SRM) for the solid rocket booster (SRB) being test fired at Morton Thiokol's Wasatch Operations in Utah. The twin boosters provide the majority of thrust for the first two minutes of flight, about 5.8 million pounds, augmenting the Shuttle's main propulsion system during liftoff. The major design drivers for the SRM's were high thrust and reuse. The desired thrust was achieved by using state-of-the-art solid propellant and by using a long cylindrical motor with a specific core design that allows the propellant to burn in a carefully controlled marner. Under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the SRM's are provided by the Morton Thiokol Corporation.

STS-49, the first flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour, lifted off from launch pad 39B on May 7, 1992 at 6:40 pm CDT. The STS-49 mission was the first U.S. orbital flight to feature 4 extravehicular activities (EVAs), and the first flight to involve 3 crew members working simultaneously outside of the spacecraft. The primary objective was the capture and redeployment of the INTELSAT VI (F-3), a communication satellite for the International Telecommunication Satellite organization, which was stranded in an unusable orbit since its launch aboard the Titan rocket in March 1990. The 4.5 ton INTELSAT VI was successfully snared by three astronauts on a third EVA. In this photo, the satellite, with its newly deployed perigee stage, begins its separation from the Shuttle.

As the orbiter Columbia (STS-50) rolled down Runway 33 of Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility, its distinctively colored drag chute deployed to slow down the spaceship. This landing marked OV-102's first end-of-mission landing at KSC and the tenth in the program, and the second shuttle landing with the drag chute. Edwards Air Force Base, CA, was the designated prime for the landing of Mission STS-50, but poor weather necessitated the switch to KSC after a one-day extension of the historic flight. STS-50 was the longest in Shuttle program historyo date, lasting 13 days, 19 hours, 30 minutes and 4 seconds. A crew of seven and the USML-1 were aboard.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour blasts form the launch pad on February 11, 2000 carrying its crew of six for the STS-99 mission, a Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), the most ambitious Earth mapping mission to date. Orbiting at 233 kilometers (145 miles) above Earth, two radar anternas, one located in the Shuttle bay and the other located on the end of a 60-meter deployable mast, was used during the mission to map Earth's features. The goal was to provide a 3-dimensional topographic map of the world's surface up to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. The mission completed 222 hours of around the clock radar mapping gathering enough information to fill more than 20,000 CDs.

Launched February 11, 2000, the STS-99 Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) was the most ambitious Earth mapping mission to date. This illustration shows the Space Shuttle Endeavour orbiting some 145 miles (233 kilometers) above Earth. With C-band and X-band outboard anternae at work, one located in the Shuttle bay and the other located on the end of a 60-meter deployable mast, the SRTM radar was able to penetrate clouds as well as provide its own illumination, independent of daylight, obtaining 3-dimentional topographic images of the world's surface up to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. The mission completed 222 hours of around the clock radar mapping, gathering enough information to fill more than 20,000 CDs.

The STS-30 patch depicts the joining of NASA's manned and unmanned space programs. The sun and inner planets of our solar system are shown with the curve connecting Earth and Venus symbolizing the shuttle orbit, the spacecraft trajectory toward Venus, and its subsequent orbit around our sister planet. A Spanish caravel similar to the ship on the official Magellan program logo commemorates the 16th century explorer's journey and his legacy of adventure and discovery. Seven stars on the patch honor the crew of Challenger. The five-star cluster in the shape of the constellation Cassiopeia represent the five STS-30 crewmembers - Astronauts David Walker, Ronald Grabe, Norman Thagard, Mary Cleave and Mark Lee - who collectively designed the patch.

The dominant theme of the STS-36, designed by the five astronaut crewmembers, is, in their words ...the essential role that space plays in preserving the blessings of freedom and liberty for America. The crew used the eagle to symbolize our country's commitment to strength and vigilance; its domain is not bound by the limits of Earth but reaches out to the star. The Shuttle, they express majestically beginning its journey into orbit demonstrates how man and machine work together for the security of our nation. A crew spokesman went on to say the flag represents the patriotism and love for America possessed by each member of the five-man crew and signifies the honor accorded them through participation in national defense.

The STS-78 patch links past with present to tell the story of its mission and science through a design imbued with the strength and vitality of the 2-dimensional art of North America's northwest coast Indians. Central to the design is the space Shuttle whose bold lines and curves evoke the Indian image for the eagle, a native American symbol of power and prestige as well as the national symbol of the United States. The wings of the Shuttle suggest the wings of the eagle whose feathers, indicative of peace and friendship in Indian tradition, are captured by the U forms, a characteristic feature of Northwest coast Indian art. The nose of the Shuttle is the strong downward curve of the eagle's beak, and the Shuttle's forward windows, the eagle's eyes, represented through the tapered S forms again typical of this Indian art form. The basic black and red atoms orbiting the mission number recall the original NASA emblem while beneath, utilizing Indian ovoid forms, the major mission scientific experiment package LMS (Life and Materials Sciences) housed in the Shuttle's cargo bay is depicted in a manner reminiscent of totem-pole art. This image of a bird poised for flight, so common to Indian art, is counterpointed by an equally familiar Tsimshian Indian symbol, a pulsating sun with long hyperbolic rays, the symbol of life. Within each of these rays are now encased crystals, the products of this mission's 3 major, high-temperature materials processing furnaces. And as the sky in Indian lore is a lovely open country, home of the Sun Chief and accessible to travelers through a hole in the western horizon, so too, space is a vast and beckoning landscape for explorers launched beyond the horizon. Beneath the Tsimshian sun, the colors of the earth limb are appropriately enclosed by a red border representing life to the Northwest coast Indians. The Indian colors of red, navy blue, white, and black pervade the STS-78 path. To the right of the Shuttle-eagle, the constellation

STS-49, the first flight of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour, lifted off from launch pad 39B on May 7, 1992 at 6:40 pm CDT. The STS-49 mission was the first U.S. orbital flight to feature 4 extravehicular activities (EVAs), and the first flight to involve 3 crew members working simultaneously outside of the spacecraft. The primary objective was the capture and redeployment of the INTELSAT VI (F-3), a communication satellite for the International Telecommunication Satellite organization, which was stranded in an unusable orbit since its launch aboard the Titan rocket in March 1990. In this onboard photo, astronaut Kathryn Thornton is working on the Assembly of Station by EVA Methods (ASEM) in the cargo bay.

The STS-77 crew patch displays the Shuttle Endeavour in the lower left and its reflection within the tripod and concave parabolic mirror of the SPARTAN Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE). The center leg of the tripod also delineates the top of the Spacehab's shape, the rest of which is outlined in gold just inside the red perimeter. The Spacehab was carried in the payload bay and housed the Commercial Float Zone Furnace (CFZF). Also depicted within the confines of the IAE mirror are the mission's rendezvous operations with the Passive Aerodynamically-Stabilized Magnetically-Damped satellite (PAM/STU) appears as a bright six-pointed star-like reflection of the sun on the edge of the mirror with Endeavour in position to track it. The sunlight on the mirror's edge, which also appears as an orbital sunset, is located over Goddard Space Flight Center, the development facility for the SPARTAN/IAE and Technology Experiments Advancing Missions in Space (TEAMS) experiments. The reflection of the Earth is oriented to show the individual countries of the crew as well as the ocean which Captain Cook explored in the original Endeavour. The mission number 77 is featured as twin stylized chevrons and an orbiting satellite as adapted from NASA's logo. The stars at the top are arranged as seen in the northern sky in the vicinity of the constellation Ursa Minor. The field of 11 stars represents both the TEAMS cluster of experiments (the four antennae of GPS Attitude and Navigation Experiment (GANE), the single canister of Liquid Metal Thermal Experiment (LMTE), the three canisters of Vented Tank Resupply Experiment (VTRE), and the three canisters of PAM/STU) and the 11th flight of Endeavour. The constellation at the right shows the fourth flight of Spacehab Experiments.

The objectives of the research program, Space Market Model Development Project, (Phase 1) were: (1) to study the need for business information in the commercial development of space; and (2) to propose a design for an information system to meet the identified needs. Three simultaneous research strategies were used in proceeding toward this goal: (1) to describe the space business information which currently exists; (2) to survey government and business representatives on the information they would like to have; and (3) to investigate the feasibility of generating new economical information about the space industry.

This project is a great benefit to the City of Perth Amboy by saving energy and savings costs. The project serves as a great example to city residents about the importance of renewable energy, energy conservation and other environmental topics. An electronic display in the City Hall shows how much energy was generated on that day, how much energy is saved, and environmental benefits. The project serves to educate people of environmental concerns and may spark the interest of individuals in other environmental topics. Hopefully, other residents will be encouraged to use solar energy. The project is also saving money for the City and its taxpayers. Anywhere we can save money means that residents can pay less in taxes and/or the City can provide improved services.

This awesome image depicts the full moon, sunset launch of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis STS-98 mission on February 7, 2001 at 6:13 p.m. eastern time. The large white plume is the pillar of smoke and stream left behind by the solid rocket boosters. The very bright dot that exists above the plume is the flame still visible at the base of the rocket boosters. The top of the plume is being directly illuminated by sunlight whereas the bottom portion lies within the Earth's shadow. The bright orb in the lower right-hand corner of the image is the full sunlit face of the moon which has already risen above the eastern horizon. The dark cone-shaped feature extending downward towards the moon is the smoke plume shadow, known as the Bugeron Effect (common during sunrise and sunset launches). The Earth, Moon, and Sun were naturally in alignment causing the shadow to appear to end at the moon. (Photo courtesy Patrick McCracken, NASA Headquarters)

The projectivespace of order n over a finite field F_q is a set of all subspaces of the vector space F_q^{n}. In this work, we consider error-correcting codes in the projectivespace, focusing mainly on constant dimension codes. We start with the different representations of subspaces in the projectivespace. These representations involve matrices in reduced row echelon form, associated binary vectors, and Ferrers diagrams. Based on these representations, we provide a new formula for the computation of the distance between any two subspaces in the projectivespace. We examine lifted maximum rank distance (MRD) codes, which are nearly optimal constant dimension codes. We prove that a lifted MRD code can be represented in such a way that it forms a block design known as a transversal design. The incidence matrix of the transversal design derived from a lifted MRD code can be viewed as a parity-check matrix of a linear code in the Hamming space. We find the properties of these codes which can be viewed also as LDPC codes. We present new bounds and constructions for constant dimension codes. First, we present a multilevel construction for constant dimension codes, which can be viewed as a generalization of a lifted MRD codes construction. This construction is based on a new type of rank-metric codes, called Ferrers diagram rank-metric codes. Then we derive upper bounds on the size of constant dimension codes which contain the lifted MRD code, and provide a construction for two families of codes, that attain these upper bounds. We generalize the well-known concept of a punctured code for a code in the projectivespace to obtain large codes which are not constant dimension. We present efficient enumerative encoding and decoding techniques for the Grassmannian. Finally we describe a search method for constant dimension lexicodes.

A non-Hermitian complex symmetric 2 × 2-matrix toy model is used to study projective Hilbert space structures in the vicinity of exceptional points (EPs). The bi-orthogonal eigenvectors of a diagonalizable matrix are Puiseux-expanded in terms of the root vectors at the EP. It is shown that the apparent contradiction between the two incompatible normalization conditions with finite and singular behaviour in the EP-limit can be resolved by projectively extending the original Hilbert space. The complementary normalization conditions correspond then to two different affine charts of this enlarged projective Hilbert space. Geometric phase and phase-jump behaviour are analysed, and the usefulness of the phase rigidity as measure for the distance to EP configurations is demonstrated. Finally, EP-related aspects of {\\cal P}{\\cal T} -symmetrically extended quantum mechanics are discussed and a conjecture concerning the quantum brachistochrone problem is formulated.

Since 1992 China has been carrying out a conspicuous manned space mission A utility project has been defined and created during the same period The Utility Project of the Chinese Manned Space Mission involves wide science areas such as earth observation life science micro-gravity fluid physics and material science astronomy space environment etc In the earth observation area it is focused on the changes of global environments and relevant exploration technologies A Middle Revolution Image Spectrometer and a Multi-model Micro-wave Remote Sensor have been developed The detectors for cirrostratus distribution solar constant earth emission budget earth-atmosphere ultra-violet spectrum and flux have been manufactured and tested All of above equipment was engaged in orbital experiments on-board the Shenzhou series spacecrafts Space life science biotechnologies and micro-gravity science were much concerned with the project A series of experiments has been made both in ground laboratories and spacecraft capsules The environmental effect in different biological bodies in space protein crystallization electrical cell-fusion animal cells cultural research on separation by using free-low electrophoresis a liquid drop Marangoni migration experiment under micro-gravity as well as a set of crystal growth and metal processing was successfully operated in space The Gamma-ray burst and high-energy emission from solar flares have been explored A set of particle detectors and a mass spectrometer measured

We consider the holographic complexity conjectures for de-Sitter invariant states in a quantum field theory on de Sitter space, dual to asymptotically anti-de Sitter geometries with de Sitter boundaries. The bulk holographic duals include solutions with or without a horizon. If we compute the complexity from the spatial volume, we find results consistent with general expectations, but the conjectured bound on the growth rate is not saturated. If we compute complexity from the action of the Wheeler–de Witt patch, we find qualitative differences from the volume calculation, with states of smaller energy having larger complexity than those of larger energy, even though the latter have bulk horizons.

This paper reports on a research study by the author that examined ten contemporary National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) complexprojects. In-depth interviews with the project managers of these projects provided qualitative data about the inner workings of the project and the methodologies used in establishing and managing the projects. The inclusion of a variety of space, aeronautics, and ground based projects from several different NASA research centers helped to reduce potential bias in the findings toward any one type of project, or technical discipline. The findings address the participants and their individual approaches. The discussion includes possible implications for project managers of other large, complex, projects.

To meet NASA's objective of using the unique aspects of the space environment to expand fundamental knowledge in the biological sciences, the Space Station Biological Research Project at Ames Research Center is developing, or providing oversight, for two major suites of hardware which will be installed on the International Space Station (ISS). The first, the Gravitational Biology Facility, consists of Habitats to support plants, rodents, cells, aquatic specimens, avian and reptilian eggs, and insects and the Habitat Holding Rack in which to house them at microgravity; the second, the Centrifuge Facility, consists of a 2.5 m diameter centrifuge that will provide acceleration levels between 0.01 g and 2.0 g and a Life Sciences Glovebox. These two facilities will support the conduct of experiments to: 1) investigate the effect of microgravity on living systems; 2) what level of gravity is required to maintain normal form and function, and 3) study the use of artificial gravity as a countermeasure to the deleterious effects of microgravity observed in the crew. Upon completion, the ISS will have three complementary laboratory modules provided by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Japanese space agency, NASDA. Use of all facilities in each of the modules will be available to investigators from participating space agencies. With the advent of the ISS, space-based gravitational biology research will transition from 10-16 day short-duration Space Shuttle flights to 90-day-or-longer ISS increments.

To meet NASA's objective of using the unique aspects of the space environment to expand fundamental knowledge in the biological sciences, the Space Station Biological Research Project at Ames Research Center is developing, or providing oversight, for two major suites of hardware which will be installed on the International Space Station (ISS). The first, the Gravitational Biology Facility, consists of Habitats to support plants, rodents, cells, aquatic specimens, avian and reptilian eggs, and insects and the Habitat Holding Rack in which to house them at microgravity; the second, the Centrifuge Facility, consists of a 2.5 m diameter centrifuge that will provide acceleration levels between 0.01 g and 2.0 g and a Life Sciences Glovebox. These two facilities will support the conduct of experiments to: 1) investigate the effect of microgravity on living systems; 2) what level of gravity is required to maintain normal form and function, and 3) study the use of artificial gravity as a countermeasure to the deleterious effects of microgravity observed in the crew. Upon completion, the ISS will have three complementary laboratory modules provided by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Japanese space agency, NASDA. Use of all facilities in each of the modules will be available to investigators from participating space agencies. With the advent of the ISS, space-based gravitational biology research will transition from 10-16 day short-duration Space Shuttle flights to 90-day-or-longer ISS increments.

The goal of the NASA Advanced Space Power Systems Project is to develop advanced, game changing technologies that will provide future NASA space exploration missions with safe, reliable, light weight and compact power generation and energy storage systems. The development effort is focused on maturing the technologies from a technology readiness level of approximately 23 to approximately 56 as defined in the NASA Procedural Requirement 7123.1B. Currently, the project is working on two critical technology areas: High specific energy batteries, and regenerative fuel cell systems with passive fluid management. Examples of target applications for these technologies are: extending the duration of extravehicular activities (EVA) with high specific energy and energy density batteries; providing reliable, long-life power for rovers with passive fuel cell and regenerative fuel cell systems that enable reduced system complexity. Recent results from the high energy battery and regenerative fuel cell technology development efforts will be presented. The technical approach, the key performance parameters and the technical results achieved to date in each of these new elements will be included. The Advanced Space Power Systems Project is part of the Game Changing Development Program under NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Projection magnetic particle imaging (MPI) can improve imaging speed by over 100-fold over traditional 3-D MPI. In this work, we derive the 2-D x-space signal equation, 2-D image equation, and introduce the concept of signal fading and resolution loss for a projection MPI imager. We then describe the design and construction of an x-spaceprojection MPI scanner with a field gradient of 2.35 T/m across a 10 cm magnet free bore. The system has an expected resolution of 3.5 × 8.0 mm using Resovist tracer, and an experimental resolution of 3.8 × 8.4 mm resolution. The system images 2.5 cm × 5.0 cm partial field-of views (FOVs) at 10 frames/s, and acquires a full field-of-view of 10 cm × 5.0 cm in 4 s. We conclude by imaging a resolution phantom, a complex "Cal" phantom, mice injected with Resovist tracer, and experimentally confirm the theoretically predicted x-space spatial resolution.

Projection magnetic particle imaging (MPI) can improve imaging speed by over 100-fold over traditional 3-D MPI. In this work, we derive the 2-D x-space signal equation, 2-D image equation, and introduce the concept of signal fading and resolution loss for a projection MPI imager. We then describe the design and construction of an x-spaceprojection MPI scanner with a field gradient of 2.35 T/m across a 10 cm magnet free bore. The system has an expected resolution of 3.5 × 8.0 mm using Resovist tracer, and an experimental resolution of 3.8 × 8.4 mm resolution. The system images 2.5 cm × 5.0 cm partial field-of views (FOVs) at 10 frames/s, and acquires a full field-of-view of 10 cm × 5.0 cm in 4 s. We conclude by imaging a resolution phantom, a complex “Cal” phantom, mice injected with Resovist tracer, and experimentally confirm the theoretically predicted x-space spatial resolution. PMID:22552332

The two European flagship spaceprojects, Galileo and GMES, clearly show that the current existing legal rules of the two organisations involved (European Union and European Space Agency) are not compatible. Moreover, it is quite impossible to implement a common project if every single organisation insists on the application of its own rules strictu sensu. Nevertheless, due to the political desire to advance these projects rapidly and to make them a success, legal obstacles were to be overcome. Consequently, recently concluded agreements between ESA and the EU-Commission concerning the financial and governmental matters of the Galileo and GMES implementation feature a new approach to cooperation between these two organisations. However, the question remains if they can be taken as precedence for a future institutionalised cooperation? It follows that the agreements have to be analysed in order to understand how a mutually acceptable agreement was reached despite the disparity in the rules of both organisations. In this regard, especially the financial decision agreement concerning Galileo in December 2007 shows a very interesting and unique way in applying EU-competition law. In the same way, the GMES-Delegation Agreement of spring 2008 is a good example of how two different legal systems can be applied to make a project success. Additionally, the reasons and arguments of both organisations have to be considered, especially once the Treaty of Lisbon will be in force. As these two main projects of the European Space Policy are characterized by the desire for a successful European cooperation, they can be regarded as an important step forward for a new legal approach. A new system emerges which could be taken into consideration for further common projects undertaken by ESA and the EU.

Objectives of this project was to: Gather senior design project ideas and internship opportunities: Relative to space explorationnd In support of the ESMD Space Grant Student Project Support NASAs Educational Framework Outcome 1: Contribute to the development of the STEM workforce

A Japanese plan of an infrared (z-band:0.9 μas or k-band:2.2 μas) space astrometry (JASMINE-project) is introduced. JASMINE (Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration) will measure distances and tangential motions of stars in the bulge of the Milky Way. It will measure parallaxes, positions with an accuracy of 10 μas and proper motions with an accuracy of 10 μas/year for stars brighter than z=14 mag or k=11 mag. JASMINE will observe about ten million stars belonging to the bulge component of our Galaxy. With a completely new “map” of the Galactic bulge, it is expected that many new exciting scientific results will be obtained in various fields of astronomy. Presently, JASMINE is in a development phase, with a targeted launch date around 2016. Science targets, preliminary design of instruments, observing strategy, critical technical issues in JASMINE and also Nano-JASMINE project are described in this paper.

The goals and objectives of the ISS Medical Project (ISSMP) are to: 1) Maximize the utilization the ISS and other spaceflight platforms to assess the effects of longduration spaceflight on human systems; 2) Devise and verify strategies to ensure optimal crew performance; 3) Enable development and validation of a suite of integrated physical (e.g., exercise), pharmacologic and/or nutritional countermeasures against deleterious effects of space flight that may impact mission success or crew health. The ISSMP provides planning, integration, and implementation services for Human Research Program research tasks and evaluation activities requiring access to space or related flight resources on the ISS, Shuttle, Soyuz, Progress, or other spaceflight vehicles and platforms. This includes pre- and postflight activities; 2) ISSMP services include operations and sustaining engineering for HRP flight hardware; experiment integration and operation, including individual research tasks and on-orbit validation of next generation on-orbit equipment; medical operations; procedures development and validation; and crew training tools and processes, as well as operation and sustaining engineering for the Telescience Support Center; and 3) The ISSMP integrates the HRP approved flight activity complement and interfaces with external implementing organizations, such as the ISS Payloads Office and International Partners, to accomplish the HRP's objectives. This effort is led by JSC with Baseline Data Collection support from KSC.

A relatively simple, modular, low mass, low cost robot is being developed for space EVA that is large enough to be independently mobile on a space station or platform exterior, yet versatile enough to accomplish many vital tasks. The robot comprises two long flexible links connected by a rotary joint, with 2-DOF 'wrist' joints and grippers at each end. It walks by gripping pre-positioned attachment points, such as trusswork nodes, and alternately shifting its base of support from one foot (gripper) to the other. The robot can perform useful tasks such as visual inspection, material transport, and light assembly by manipulating objects with one gripper, while stabilizing itself with the other. At SOAR '90, we reported development of 1/3 scale robot hardware, modular trusswork to serve as a locomotion substrate, and a gravity compensation system to allow laboratory tests of locomotion strategies on the horizontal face of the trusswork. In this paper, we report on project progress including the development of: (1) adaptive control for automatic adjustment to loads; (2) enhanced manipulation capabilities; (3) machine vision, including the use of neural nets, to guide autonomous locomotion; (4) locomotion between orthogonal trusswork faces; and (5) improved facilities for gravity compensation and telerobotic control.

NASA Ames Research Center is responsible for the development of the Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) which will support non-human life sciences research on the International Space Station Alpha (ISSA). The SSBRP is designed to support both basic research to understand the effect of altered gravity fields on biological systems and applied research to investigate the effects of space flight on biological systems. The SSBRP will provide the necessary habitats to support avian and reptile eggs, cells and tissues, plants and rodents. In addition a habitat to support aquatic specimens will be provided by our international partners. Habitats will be mounted in ISSA compatible racks at u-g and will also be mounted on a 2.5 m diameter centrifuge except for the egg incubator which has an internal centrifuge. The 2.5 m centrifuge will provide artificial gravity levels over the range of 0.01 G to 2 G. The current schedule is to launch the first rack in 1999, the Life Sciences glovebox and a second rack early in 2001, a 4 habitat 2.5 in centrifuge later the same year in its own module, and to upgrade the centrifuge to 8 habitats in 2004. The rodent habitats will be derived from the Advanced Animal Habitat currently under development for the Shuttle program and will be capable of housing either rats or mice individually or in groups (6 rats/group and at least 12 mice/group). The egg incubator will be an upgraded Avian Development Facility also developed for the Shuttle program through a Small Business and Innovative Research grant. The Space Tissue Loss cell culture apparatus, developed by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, is being considered for the cell and tissue culture habitat. The Life Sciences Glovebox is crucial to all life sciences experiments for specimen manipulation and performance of science procedures. It will provide two levels of containment between the work volume and the crew through the use of seals and negative pressure. The glovebox

NASA Ames Research Center is responsible for the development of the Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) which will support non-human life sciences research on the International Space Station Alpha (ISSA). The SSBRP is designed to support both basic research to understand the effect of altered gravity fields on biological systems and applied research to investigate the effects of space flight on biological systems. The SSBRP will provide the necessary habitats to support avian and reptile eggs, cells and tissues, plants and rodents. In addition a habitat to support aquatic specimens will be provided by our international partners. Habitats will be mounted in ISSA compatible racks at u-g and will also be mounted on a 2.5 m diameter centrifuge except for the egg incubator which has an internal centrifuge. The 2.5 m centrifuge will provide artificial gravity levels over the range of 0.01 G to 2 G. The current schedule is to launch the first rack in 1999, the Life Sciences glovebox and a second rack early in 2001, a 4 habitat 2.5 in centrifuge later the same year in its own module, and to upgrade the centrifuge to 8 habitats in 2004. The rodent habitats will be derived from the Advanced Animal Habitat currently under development for the Shuttle program and will be capable of housing either rats or mice individually or in groups (6 rats/group and at least 12 mice/group). The egg incubator will be an upgraded Avian Development Facility also developed for the Shuttle program through a Small Business and Innovative Research grant. The Space Tissue Loss cell culture apparatus, developed by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, is being considered for the cell and tissue culture habitat. The Life Sciences Glovebox is crucial to all life sciences experiments for specimen manipulation and performance of science procedures. It will provide two levels of containment between the work volume and the crew through the use of seals and negative pressure. The glovebox

We generalize to quantum weighted projectivespaces in any dimension previous results of us on K-theory and K-homology of quantum projectivespaces `tout court'. For a class of such spaces, we explicitly construct families of Fredholm modules, both bounded and unbounded (that is, spectral triples), and prove that they are linearly independent in the K-homology of the corresponding C *-algebra. We also show that the quantum weighted projectivespaces are base spaces of quantum principal circle bundles whose total spaces are quantum lens spaces. We construct finitely generated projective modules associated with the principal bundles and pair them with the Fredholm modules, thus proving their non-triviality.

The paper aims to extend major equations in the electromagnetic and gravitational theories from the flat space into the complex octonion curved space. Maxwell applied simultaneously the quaternion analysis and vector terminology to describe the electromagnetic theory. It inspires subsequent scholars to study the electromagnetic and gravitational theories with the complex quaternions/octonions. Furthermore Einstein was the first to depict the gravitational theory by means of tensor analysis and curved four-space-time. Nowadays some scholars investigate the electromagnetic and gravitational properties making use of the complex quaternion/octonion curved space. From the orthogonality of two complex quaternions, it is possible to define the covariant derivative of the complex quaternion curved space, describing the gravitational properties in the complex quaternion curved space. Further it is possible to define the covariant derivative of the complex octonion curved space by means of the orthogonality of two complex octonions, depicting simultaneously the electromagnetic and gravitational properties in the complex octonion curved space. The result reveals that the connection coefficient and curvature of the complex octonion curved space will exert an influence on the field strength and field source of the electromagnetic and gravitational fields, impacting the linear momentum, angular momentum, torque, energy, and force and so forth.

This guide to the literature on space science projects is not necessarily intended to be a comprehensive bibliography. It is designed to provide the reader with a set of resources that can be used to focus on the topic. The document lists the subject headings used by the Library of Congress in cataloging information on space science projects. It…

Two teaching aids, on space flight and on natural selection and evolution of beaks in birds, are described. A simulated space instrument plaen was made and a space launch and other functions carried out. A simple experiment with match sticks was used to teach natural selection. (PS)

Two teaching aids, on space flight and on natural selection and evolution of beaks in birds, are described. A simulated space instrument plaen was made and a space launch and other functions carried out. A simple experiment with match sticks was used to teach natural selection. (PS)

The Life Sciences Space Biology (LSSB) research will explore the effect of microgravity on humans, including the physiological, clinical, and sociological implications of space flight and the readaptations upon return to earth. Physiological anomalies from past U.S. space flights will be used in planning the LSSB project.The planning effort integrates science and engineering. Other goals of the LSSB project include the provision of macroscopic view of the earth's biosphere, and the development of spinoff technology for application on earth.

The Life Sciences Space Biology (LSSB) research will explore the effect of microgravity on humans, including the physiological, clinical, and sociological implications of space flight and the readaptations upon return to earth. Physiological anomalies from past U.S. space flights will be used in planning the LSSB project.The planning effort integrates science and engineering. Other goals of the LSSB project include the provision of macroscopic view of the earth's biosphere, and the development of spinoff technology for application on earth.

The complexprojectivespace CP2 of complex dimension 2 has a Spinc structure carrying Kählerian Killing spinors. The restriction of one of these Kählerian Killing spinors to a surface M2 characterizes the isometric immersion of M2 into CP2 if the immersion is either Lagrangian or complex.

Risk management strategies have become a recent important research topic to many aerospace organizations as they prepare to develop the revolutionary complexspace systems of the future. Future multi-disciplinary complexspace systems will make it absolutely essential for organizations to practice a rigorous, comprehensive risk management process, emphasizing thorough systems engineering principles to succeed. Project managers must possess strong leadership skills to direct high quality, cross-disciplinary teams for successfully developing revolutionary space systems that are ever increasing in complexity. Proactive efforts to reduce or eliminate risk throughout a project's lifecycle ideally must be practiced by all technical members in the organization. This paper discusses some of the risk management perspectives that were collected from senior managers and project managers of aerospace and aeronautical organizations by the use of interviews and surveys. Some of the programmatic risks which drive the success or failure of projects are revealed. Key findings lead to a number of insights for organizations to consider for proactively approaching the risks which face current and future complexspace systems projects.

In today"s economy, public university administrators need to reflect on current practices for reporting and projectingspace requirements to government entities as the cost of constructing new facilities or renovating space rises while income from legislative appropriations diminishes. As stewards of public buildings and funds, institutions…

In today"s economy, public university administrators need to reflect on current practices for reporting and projectingspace requirements to government entities as the cost of constructing new facilities or renovating space rises while income from legislative appropriations diminishes. As stewards of public buildings and funds, institutions…

This is the Final Report for the Live From Space Station (LFSS) project under the Learning Technologies Project FY 2001 of the MSFC Education Programs Department. AZ Technology, Inc. (AZTek) has developed and implemented science education software tools to support tasks under the LTP program. Initial audience consisted of 26 TreK in the Classroom schools and thousands of museum visitors to the International Space Station: The Earth Tour exhibit sponsored by Discovery Place museum.

Complex Electronics (CE) are now programmed to perform tasks that were previously handled in software, such as communication protocols. Many of the methods used to develop software bare a close resemblance to CE development. For instance, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can have over a million logic gates while system-on-chip (SOC) devices can combine a microprocessor, input and output channels, and sometimes an FPGA for programmability. With this increased intricacy, the possibility of software-like bugs such as incorrect design, logic, and unexpected interactions within the logic is great. Since CE devices are obscuring the hardware/software boundary, we propose that mature software methodologies may be utilized with slight modifications in the development of these devices. Software Process Assurance for Complex Electronics (SPACE) is a research project that looks at using standardized S/W Assurance/Engineering practices to provide an assurance framework for development activities. Tools such as checklists, best practices and techniques can be used to detect missing requirements and bugs earlier in the development cycle creating a development process for CE that will be more easily maintained, consistent and configurable based on the device used.

In this paper, we investigate the spacecomplexity of the Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDAs), a class of sampling-based variants of the genetic algorithm. By analyzing the nature of EDAs, we identify criteria that characterize the spacecomplexity of two typical implementation schemes of EDAs, the factorized distribution algorithm and Bayesian network-based algorithms. Using random additive functions as the prototype, we prove that the spacecomplexity of the factorized distribution algorithm and Bayesian network-based algorithms is exponential in the problem size even if the optimization problem has a very sparse interaction structure.

The results of a research project investigating information needs for space commercialization is described. The Space Market Model Development Project (SMMDP) was designed to help NASA identify the information needs of the business community and to explore means to meet those needs. The activity of the SMMDP is reviewed and a report of its operation via three sections is presented. The first part contains a brief historical review of the project since inception. The next part reports results of Phase 3, the most recent stage of activity. Finally, overall conclusions and observations based on the SMMDP research results are presented.

Nucleic acids have emerged as effective materials for assembling complex nanoscale structures. To tailor the structures to function optimally for particular applications, a broad structural design space is desired. Despite the many discrete and extended structures demonstrated in the past few decades, the design space remains to be fully explored. In particular, the complex finite-sized structures produced to date have been typically based on a small number of structural motifs. Here, we perform a comprehensive study of the design space for complex DNA structures, using more than 30 distinct motifs derived from single-stranded tiles. These motifs self-assemble to form structures with diverse strand weaving patterns and specific geometric properties, such as curvature and twist. We performed a systematic study to control and characterize the curvature of the structures, and constructed a flat structure with a corrugated strand pattern. The work here reveals the broadness of the design space for complex DNA nanostructures.

Space systems are characterized by varying degrees of scale and complexity. Accordingly, cost-effective implementation of systems engineering also varies depending on scale and complexity. Recognizing that systems engineering and integration happen everywhere and at all levels of a given system and that the life cycle is an integrated process necessary to mature a design, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration's (NASA's) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed a suite of customized implementation approaches based on project scale and complexity. While it may be argued that a top-level system engineering process is common to and indeed desirable across an enterprise for all space systems, implementation of that top-level process and the associated products developed as a result differ from system to system. The implementation approaches used for developing a scientific instrument necessarily differ from those used for a space station. .

Instead of formulating the state space of a quantum field theory over one big Hilbert space, it has been proposed by Kijowski to describe quantum states as projective families of density matrices over a collection of smaller, simpler Hilbert spaces. Beside the physical motivations for this approach, it could help designing a quantum state space holding the states we need. In a latter work by Okolów, the description of a theory of Abelian connections within this framework was developed, an important insight being to use building blocks labeled by combinations of edges and surfaces. The present work generalizes this construction to an arbitrary gauge group G (in particular, G is neither assumed to be Abelian nor compact). This involves refining the definition of the label set, as well as deriving explicit formulas to relate the Hilbert spaces attached to different labels. If the gauge group happens to be compact, we also have at our disposal the well-established Ashtekar-Lewandowski Hilbert space, which is defined as an inductive limit using building blocks labeled by edges only. We then show that the quantum state space presented here can be thought as a natural extension of the space of density matrices over this Hilbert space. In addition, it is manifest from the classical counterparts of both formalisms that the projective approach allows for a more balanced treatment of the holonomy and flux variables, so it might pave the way for the development of more satisfactory coherent states.

The purpose of the Space Mission Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) Project is to extend current ground-based HRA risk prediction techniques to a long-duration, space-based tool. Ground-based HRA methodology has been shown to be a reasonable tool for short-duration space missions, such as Space Shuttle and lunar fly-bys. However, longer-duration deep-space missions, such as asteroid and Mars missions, will require the crew to be in space for as long as 400 to 900 day missions with periods of extended autonomy and self-sufficiency. Current indications show higher risk due to fatigue, physiological effects due to extended low gravity environments, and others, may impact HRA predictions. For this project, Safety & Mission Assurance (S&MA) will work with Human Health & Performance (HH&P) to establish what is currently used to assess human reliabiilty for human space programs, identify human performance factors that may be sensitive to long duration space flight, collect available historical data, and update current tools to account for performance shaping factors believed to be important to such missions. This effort will also contribute data to the Human Performance Data Repository and influence the Space Human Factors Engineering research risks and gaps (part of the HRP Program). An accurate risk predictor mitigates Loss of Crew (LOC) and Loss of Mission (LOM).The end result will be an updated HRA model that can effectively predict risk on long-duration missions.

Space travelers are exposed to solar and galactic cosmic rays comprised of protons and heavy ions moving with velocities close to the speed of light. Cosmic ray heavy ions are known to produce more severe types of biomolecular damage in comparison to terrestrial forms of radiation, however the relationship between such damage and disease has not been fully elucidated. On Earth, we are protected from cosmic rays by atmospheric and magnetic shielding, and only the remnants of cosmic rays in the form of ground level muons and other secondary radiations are present. Because human epidemiology data is lacking for cosmic rays, risk projection must rely on theoretical understanding and data from experimental models exposed to space radiation using charged particle accelerators to simulate space radiation. Although the risks of cancer and other late effects from cosmic rays are currently believed to present a severe challenge to space travel, this challenge is centered on our lack of confidence in risk projections methodologies. We review biophysics and radiobiology data on the effects of the cosmic ray heavy ions, and the current methods used to project radiation risks . Cancer risk projections are described as a product of many biological and physical factors, each of which has a differential range of uncertainty due to lack of data and knowledge. Risk projections for space travel are described using Monte-Carlo sampling from subjective error di stributions that represent the lack of knowledge in each factor that contributes to the projection model in order to quantify the overall uncertainty in risk projections. This analysis is applied to space mi ssion scenarios including lunar colony, deep space outpost, and a Mars mission. Results suggest that the number of days in space where cancer mortality risks can be assured at a 95% confidence level to be below the maximum acceptable risk for radi ation workers on Earth or the International Space Station is only on the order

The scientific and educational project of space research was initiated in Lomonosov Moscow State University in order to incorporate modern space research in the university and high education, to popularize basics of space physics, and to enhance public interest in space exploration. On 20 January, 2005 the First Russian University Satellite UNIVERSITETSKIY was launched into circular polar orbit (inclination 83 deg., altitude 940-980 km). The onboard scientific complex TATYANA as well as the mission control and information receiving center, was designed and developed in Moscow State University. The scientific program of the mission include measurements of space radiation in different energy channels, and Earth UV luminosity and lightening. A multimedia lectures "Life of the Earth in the Solar Atmosphere" containing the basic information and demonstrations of the heliophysics (including Sun structure and solar activity, heliosphere and geophysics, solar-terrestrial connections and solar influence on the Earth's life) was created for upper high-school and junior university students. For the upper-university students there was created a dozen of special computerized lab exercises based on the experimental quasi-realtime data obtained from our satellites. Students specialized in space physics from a few Russian universities are involved in scientific work based. Educational program of the project (both the multimedia lectures and lab exercises) is concentrated to upper high school, middle university and special level for space physics students. The space research scientific and educational activity of Moscow State University is a non-profit project and is open for all interested parties.

NASA/USRA is an ongoing sponsor of space design projects in the senior design course of the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. This paper describes the UT senior design sequence, consisting of a design methodology course and a capstone design course. The philosophical basis of this sequence is briefly summarized. A history of the Department's activities in the Advanced Design Program is then presented. The paper concludes with a description of the projects completed during the 1991-92 academic year and the ongoing projects for the Fall 1992 semester.

NASA/USRA is an ongoing sponsor of space design projects in the senior design courses of the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. This paper describes the UT senior design sequence, focusing on the first-semester design methodology course. The philosophical basis and pedagogical structure of this course is summarized. A history of the Department's activities in the Advanced Design Program is then presented. The paper includes a summary of the projects completed during the 1992-93 Academic Year in the methodology course, and concludes with an example of two projects completed by student design teams.

NASA/USRA is an ongoing sponsor of space design projects in the senior design courses of the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. This paper describes the UT senior design sequence, focusing on the first-semester design methodology course. The philosophical basis and pedagogical structure of this course is summarized. A history of the Department's activities in the Advanced Design Program is then presented. The paper includes a summary of the projects completed during the 1992-93 Academic Year in the methodology course, and concludes with an example of two projects completed by student design teams.

NASA/USRA is an ongoing sponsor of space design projects in the senior design course of the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. This paper describes the UT senior design sequence, consisting of a design methodology course and a capstone design course. The philosophical basis of this sequence is briefly summarized. A history of the Department's activities in the Advanced Design Program is then presented. The paper concludes with a description of the projects completed during the 1991-92 academic year and the ongoing projects for the Fall 1992 semester.

This paper describes the approach used in designing and adapting the SIRTF prototype, discusses some of the lessons learned in developing the SIRTF prototype, and explains the adaptability of the risk management database to varying levels projectcomplexity.

This paper describes the approach used in designing and adapting the SIRTF prototype, discusses some of the lessons learned in developing the SIRTF prototype, and explains the adaptability of the risk management database to varying levels projectcomplexity.

Experimental time series, extracted from many and different space plasma systems corresponding to, solar wind, magnetospheric and other space plasma systems reveal common dynamical, geometrical, or statistical characteristics. Such characteristics are the low dimensionality, the typical intermittent turbulence multifractality, the temporal or spatial multiscale correlations and power laws scale invariance, non Gaoussianity and others. This universal aspect of experimental time series profiles was understood in the past as the chaos or SOC universality. However, after two or three decades of theoretical development in understanding of the nonlinearity and complexity, we can give a more compact theoretical description of the underline universal physical processes that produce the experimental time series complexity. Finally, in this study, we present and explain the modern complex set of theoretical concepts from the point of view of physics as the unification theory of nonlinear theory of non-equilibrium plasma systems as well as the presupposed theoretical framework of time series analysis of space plasma charachteristics.

We give a detailed account of the geometric correspondence between a smooth complexprojective quadric hypersurface Q^n of dimension n ≥ 3, and its twistor space PT, defined to be the space of all linear subspaces of maximal dimension of Q^n. Viewing complex Euclidean space CE^n as a dense open subset of Q^n, we show how local foliations tangent to certain integrable holomorphic totally null distributions of maximal rank on CE^n can be constructed in terms of complex submanifolds of PT. The construction is illustrated by means of two examples, one involving conformal Killing spinors, the other, conformal Killing-Yano 2-forms. We focus on the odd-dimensional case, and we treat the even-dimensional case only tangentially for comparison.

Coherent states in a projected Hilbert space have many useful properties. When there are conserved quantities, a representation of the entire Hilbert space is not necessary. The same issue arises when conditional observations are made with postselected measurement results. In these cases, only a part of the Hilbert space needs to be represented, and one can define this restriction by way of a projection operator. Here coherent state bases and normally ordered phase-space representations are introduced for treating such projected Hilbert spaces, including existence theorems and dynamical equations. These techniques are very useful in studying novel optical or microwave integrated photonic quantum technologies, such as boson sampling or Josephson quantum computers. In these cases, states become strongly restricted due to inputs, nonlinearities, or conditional measurements. This paper focuses on coherent phase states, which have especially simple properties. Practical applications are reported on calculating recurrences in anharmonic oscillators, the effects of arbitrary phase noise on Schrödinger cat fringe visibility, and on boson sampling interferometry for large numbers of modes.

The specific problem addressed in this study was the low success rate of information technology (IT) projects in the U.S. Due to the abstract nature and inherent complexity of software development, IT projects are among the most complexprojects encountered. Most existing schools of project management theory are based on the rational systems…

The specific problem addressed in this study was the low success rate of information technology (IT) projects in the U.S. Due to the abstract nature and inherent complexity of software development, IT projects are among the most complexprojects encountered. Most existing schools of project management theory are based on the rational systems…

The fact that the space of states of a quantum mechanical system is a projectivespace (as opposed to a linear manifold) has many consequences. We develop some of these here. First, the space is nearly contractible, namely all the finite homotopy groups (except the second) vanish (i.e., it is the Eilenberg-MacLane space K(ℤ, 2)). Moreover, there is strictly speaking no “superposition principle” in quantum mechanics as one cannot “add” rays; instead, there is a decomposition principle by which a given ray has well-defined projections in other rays. When the evolution of a system is cyclic, any representative vector traces out an open curve, defining an element of the holonomy group, which is essentially the (geometrical) Berry phase. Finally, for the massless case of the representations of the Poincaré group (the so-called “Wigner program”), there could be in principle arbitrarily multivalued representations coming from the Lie algebra of the Euclidean plane group. In fact they are at most bivalued (as commonly admitted).

Justifying the relevancy of a Manned Military Space Station (MMSS) and subsequently proposing its deployment to capitalize upon the United States' national security interests is the essence and purpose of this group study project. The MMSS is intended to perform a two-fold purpose: (1) facilitate military peacetime operations while simultaneously supporting and promoting civilian space initiatives; and, (2) act as a force multiplier for space and terrestrial force operations in the event of conventional, theater nuclear, and/or strategic nuclear war. Data to support the future value of the MMSS was obtained from individual and group research using unclassified sources such as professional journals, books, US Air Force Staff College reference material, and information from the US Air Force space coordinating staff in Washington, DC. The importance of space to our future and especially of a MMSS by America's national leaders and its people has yet to be fully appreciated and/or realized. The significance of space and its nexus to the United States' national security has been growing dramatically in importance since the launching of the Sputnik in 1957 by Russian. Space, as the forth dimension, cannot and should not be understated in importance as it relates to commercialism, deterrence to war, and to the stability of world order.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) was one of four colleges and universities awarded NASA grants for student design and development of an improved glove for space suits. This paper traces the design, development and testing of the WPI prototype glove. Test results showed that the glove did not significantly limit hand and finger motion when pressurized at 8 psi, except in the spherical grip mode. This project demonstrated that problems originating from space technology provide excellent vehicles for student learning and can generate creative solutions.

The Space Processing Applications Rocket Project (SPAR) VIII Final Report contains the engineering report prepared at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as well as the three reports from the principal investigators. These reports also describe pertinent portions of ground-based research leading to the ultimate selection of the flight sample composition, including design, fabrication, and testing, all of which are expected to contribute immeasurably to an improved comprehension of materials processing in space. This technical memorandum is directed entirely to the payload manifest flown in the eighth of a series of SPAR flights conducted at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and includes the experiments entitled Glass Formation Experiment SPAR 74-42/1R, Glass Fining Experiment in Low-Gravity SPAR 77-13/1, and Dynamics of Liquid Bubbles SPAR Experiment 77-18/2.

The Space Processing Applications Rocket Project (SPAR) VIII Final Report contains the engineering report prepared at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as well as the three reports from the principal investigators. These reports also describe pertinent portions of ground-based research leading to the ultimate selection of the flight sample composition, including design, fabrication, and testing, all of which are expected to contribute immeasurably to an improved comprehension of materials processing in space. This technical memorandum is directed entirely to the payload manifest flown in the eighth of a series of SPAR flights conducted at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and includes the experiments entitled Glass Formation Experiment SPAR 74-42/1R, Glass Fining Experiment in Low-Gravity SPAR 77-13/1, and Dynamics of Liquid Bubbles SPAR Experiment 77-18/2.

The paper discusses briefly some broad plans for developing the technology needed for large construction projects in space ranging from orbiting solar power stations to large communications antennas. Space construction classes include assembly of modules, deployment of compacted structures, assembly of passive preformed pieces, and fabrication of structures from sheet stock. Technological areas related to structural concepts include (1) analyses for prediction of structural behavior, structural/control interaction, electromagnetic and control performance, and integrated design development; (2) electronics for signal conditioning and data acquisition, power distribution, and signal channel interference and multipaction; (3) concepts for shape control, attitude/pointing control, and orbital transfer and station keeping; and (4) materials and techniques for 30-year dimensional stable composites, thermal control, thin-lightweight structural alloys, and material joining in space. The concept of a power module for the construction operations is discussed along with a concept for a habitability module.

The IONOSAT-MICRO project is a first stage of IONOSAT program devoted to the multi-point global monitoring of dynamic processes in the ionosphere. The IONOSAT program is planned to be realized in 2015-2020 with the help of three satellites at coordinated low Earth orbits (LEO). IONOSAT-MICRO is the forerunner project scheduled for launch in 2014 at sun-synchronous orbit with the aim to test the IONOSAT mission scientific postulates and preliminary collection of related space data. The main goal of the IONOSAT-MICRO project is the systematic study of the dynamic response of the ionosphere to the influence "from above" (sun, geomagnetic activity) and "from below" (powerful meteorological, seismic and anthropogenic impacts). More in details, the study of following formations in the ionosphere is foreseen: - Space-temporal structure and global distribution of inhomogeneities in neutral atmosphere and ionosphere; - Global structure and dynamics of quasi-stationary electric currents, electric and magnetic fields; - Wave structures and turbulences at different spatial and temporal scales. To realize such a research, the scientific payload of the MICROSAT spacecraft will provide the measurements of following parameters: - Neutral gas and plasma parameters - concentration, temperature; - DC-ELF-VLF electromagnetic field vectors and ELF-VLF plasma current fluctuations; - Total electron content (TEC); - Spectral content of plasma oscillations. Synchronous experiments with ground support facilities - both active and passive ones - are also foreseen. The IONOSAT-MICRO project will be realized onboard of MICROSAT microsatellite platform, manufactured by Yuzhnoye Design Office with new experimental models of ammonia propulsion system, battery, solar arrays and panels with thermal control coating, the in-flight tests of which are also planned in frames of the project. The composition of the scientific equipment developed by the international team of participants and sensors

Following the completion in 2001 of two parallel studies to consider the feasibility of a European Space Weather Programme ESA embarked upon a space weather pilot study with the goal of prototyping European space weather services and assessing the overall market for such within Europe This pilot project centred on a number of targeted service development activities supported by a common infrastructure and making use of only existing space weather assets Each service activity included clear participation from at least one identified service user who was requested to provide initial requirements and regular feedback during the operational phase of the service These service activities are now reaching the end of their 2-year development and testing phase and are now accessible each with an element of the service in the public domain see http www esa-spaceweathet net swenet An additional crucial element of the study was the inclusion of a comprehensive and independent analysis of the benefits both economic and strategic of embarking on a programme which would include the deployment of an infrastructure with space-based elements The results of this study will be reported together with their implication for future coordinated European activities in this field

A report on the utilization of the Deep Space Network during calendar year 1981 in support of all flight projects is presented. The network expended 63% of its total capability in support of Space Flight projects.

We determine the computational power of preparing projected entangled pair states (PEPS), as well as the complexity of classically simulating them, and generally the complexity of contracting tensor networks. While creating PEPS allows us to solve PP problems, the latter two tasks are both proven to be #P-complete. We further show how PEPS can be used to approximate ground states of gapped Hamiltonians and that creating them is easier than creating arbitrary PEPS. The main tool for our proofs is a duality between PEPS and postselection which allows us to use existing results from quantum complexity.

In the summer of 20 11 NASA approved the proposal for the Space Geodesy Project (SGP). A major element is developing at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory a prototype of the next generation of integrated stations with co-located VLBI, SLR, GNSS and DORIS instruments as well as a system for monitoring the vector ties. VLBI2010 is a key component of the integrated station. The objectives ofSGP, the role of VLBI20 lOin the context of SGP, near term plans and possible future scenarios will be discussed.

Humans perform critical functions throughout each phase of every space mission, beginning with the mission concept and continuing to post-mission analysis (Life Sciences Division, 1996). Space missions present humans with many challenges - the microgravity environment, relative isolation, and inherent dangers of the mission all present unique issues. As mission duration and distance from Earth increases, in-flight crew autonomy will increase along with increased complexity. As efforts for exploring the moon and Mars advance, there is a need for space human factors research and technology development to play a significant role in both on-orbit human-system interaction, as well as the development of mission requirements and needs before and after the mission. As part of the Space Human Factors Engineering (SHFE) Project within the Human Research Program (HRP), a six-month Gap Analysis Project (GAP) was funded to identify any human factors research gaps or knowledge needs. The overall aim of the project was to review the current state of human factors topic areas and requirements to determine what data, processes, or tools are needed to aid in the planning and development of future exploration missions, and also to prioritize proposals for future research and technology development.

For various evolution equations for an element of a Hilbert space one uses different asymptotic methods to construct approximate solutions of these equations, which are expressed in terms of points (that are time-dependent and satisfy certain equations) in a smooth manifold Y and elements of a Hilbert space F{sub y}. In the present paper the properties of asymptotic solutions are studied under fairly general assumptions on the map associating a pair y element of Y, f element of F{sub y} with an asymptotic formula. An analogue of the concept of complex Maslov germ is introduced in the abstract case and its properties are studied. An analogue of the theory of Lagrangian manifolds with complex germ is discussed. The connection between the existence of an invariant complex germ and the stability of the solution of the equation for a point in the smooth manifold Y is investigated. The results so obtained can be used for the construction and geometric interpretation of new asymptotic solutions of evolution equations in the case when some class of asymptotic solutions is already known.

Children on a tour at the KSC Visitor Complex get an early look at the Discovery Channel's Liberty Bell 7 Space Capsule Exhibit, which opens to the public on Saturday, June 17. They are on a re- creation of the deck of Ocean Project, the ship that located and recovered the space capsule from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty Bell 7 launched U.S. Air Force Captain Virgil '''Gus''' Grissom July 21, 1961, on a mission that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds before sinking. It lay undetected for nearly four decades before a Discovery Channel expedition located it and recovered it. The space capsule, now restored and preserved, is part of an interactive exhibit touring science centers and museums in 12 cities throughout the United States until 2003. The exhibit also includes hands-on elements such as a capsule simulator, a centrifuge, and ROV pilot.

Children on a tour at the KSC Visitor Complex get an early look at the Discovery Channel's Liberty Bell 7 Space Capsule Exhibit, which opens to the public on Saturday, June 17. They are on a re- creation of the deck of Ocean Project, the ship that located and recovered the space capsule from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty Bell 7 launched U.S. Air Force Captain Virgil '''Gus''' Grissom July 21, 1961, on a mission that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds before sinking. It lay undetected for nearly four decades before a Discovery Channel expedition located it and recovered it. The space capsule, now restored and preserved, is part of an interactive exhibit touring science centers and museums in 12 cities throughout the United States until 2003. The exhibit also includes hands-on elements such as a capsule simulator, a centrifuge, and ROV pilot.

Sporadic and localized interactions of coherent structures arising from plasma resonances can be the origin of "complexity" of the coexistence of non- propagating spatiotemporal fluctuations and propagating modes in space plasmas. Numerical simulation results are presented to demonstrate the intermittent character of the non-propagating fluctuations. The technique of the dynamic renormalization-group is introduced and applied to the study of scale invariance of such type of multiscale fluctuations. We also demonstrate that the particle interactions with the intermittent turbulence can lead to the efficient energization of the plasma populations. An example related to the ion acceleration processes in the auroral zone is provided.

An advanced life support system (ALS) with bioregenerative components may one day be required for long-term, deep space exploration, in extended missions to Mars or in establishing long-term bases on the moon. Intensive research programs on such ALS systems have been ongoing throughout the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) since 1988. Notably, projects have been initiated at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Ames Research Center (ARC), and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC). The KSC ALS work has been named the "Breadboard Project" because of its approach developing the components and combining them into a breadboard to understanding the bioregenerative ALS picture [also called a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS)] in smaller pieces, similar to an electronic "breadboard." The Breadboard Project has been involved for 7 years in the study of higher crops grown in a 113 m3 chamber--the longest operating and largest such closed, controlled growth chamber in the world. This chamber has proven itself to be very successful in growing a wide variety of crops from seedlings to harvest and in helping researchers understand the complex biological cycle of such edible plants in closed, environmentally controlled environments. Because the system's ultimate use will be a more challenging environment, moving a specially designed piece of the system into extreme conditions was an important test. Engineers at KSC developed a compact, portable, functional plant module for testing in the world's only fixed seafloor laboratory at Key Largo, FL. The laboratory, called MarineLab, is operated out of the facilities of the Marine Resources Development Foundation in a lagoon of some 10 m depth. The project was called the OCEAN project (Ocean CELSS Experimental Analog NASA).

Several features of solar energy space power stations are discussed. An end-to-end analysis of a system using silicon solar cells is reviewed, and the merits of construction in low earth orbit and in geosynchronous orbit are compared. A suggested space construction procedure, described in detail, would use a 'beam builder', an automated machine, to fabricate the first sublevel truss structural members from strip stock material that is stored on reels. An assembly jig would then be used to position a number of beam builders in the proper location and to support the beams as they are produced to facilitate joining them to form the final space power station structure. Spaceprojects for evaluating the construction concept are proposed, and a possible space construction sequence is considered. Space transportation that would be required in conjunction with the space power station is described.

Several features of solar energy space power stations are discussed. An end-to-end analysis of a system using silicon solar cells is reviewed, and the merits of construction in low earth orbit and in geosynchronous orbit are compared. A suggested space construction procedure, described in detail, would use a 'beam builder', an automated machine, to fabricate the first sublevel truss structural members from strip stock material that is stored on reels. An assembly jig would then be used to position a number of beam builders in the proper location and to support the beams as they are produced to facilitate joining them to form the final space power station structure. Spaceprojects for evaluating the construction concept are proposed, and a possible space construction sequence is considered. Space transportation that would be required in conjunction with the space power station is described.

In the IMAX Theater of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures" participate in a question and answer session. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

This project will advance the Autonomous Deep-space navigation capability applied to Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system by testing it on hardware, particularly in a flight processor, with a goal of limited testing in the Integrated Power, Avionics and Software (IPAS) with the ARCM (Asteroid Retrieval Crewed Mission) DRO (Distant Retrograde Orbit) Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) scenario. The technology, which will be harnessed, is called 'optical flow', also known as 'visual odometry'. It is being matured in the automotive and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) applications but has yet to be applied to spacecraft navigation. In light of the tremendous potential of this technique, we believe that NASA needs to design a optical navigation architecture that will use this technique. It is flexible enough to be applicable to navigating around planetary bodies, such as asteroids.

This presentation provides an overview of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Project. The JWST is an infrared telescope designed to collect data in the cosmic dark zone. Specifically, the mission of the JWST is to study the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems. It is a deployable telescope with a 6.5 m diameter, segmented, adjustable primary mirror. outfitted with cryogenic temperature telescope and instruments for infrared performance. The JWST is several times more sensitive than previous telescope and other photographic and electronic detection methods. It hosts a near infrared camera, near infrared spectrometer, mid-infrared instrument and a fine guidance sensor. The JWST mission objection and architecture, integrated science payload, instrument overview, and operational orbit are described.

Developed as part of the suite of Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) hardware to support research aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Incubator is a temperature-controlled chamber, for conducting life science research with small animal, plant and microbial specimens. The Incubator is designed for use only on the ISS and is transported to/from the ISS, unpowered and without specimens, in the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) of the Shuttle. The Incubator interfaces with the three SSBRP Host Systems; the Habitat Holding Racks (HHR), the Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) and the 2.5 m Centrifuge Rotor (CR), providing investigators with the ability to conduct research in microgravity and at variable gravity levels of up to 2-g. The temperature within the Specimen Chamber can be controlled between 4 and 45 C. Cabin air is recirculated within the Specimen Chamber and can be exchanged with the ISS cabin at a rate of approximately equal 50 cc/min. The humidity of the Specimen Chamber is monitored. The Specimen Chamber has a usable volume of approximately equal 19 liters and contains two (2) connectors at 28v dc, (60W) for science equipment; 5 dedicated thermometers for science; ports to support analog and digital signals from experiment unique sensors or other equipment; an Ethernet port; and a video port. It is currently manifested for UF-3 and will be launched integrated within the first SSBRP Habitat Holding Rack.

Developed as part of the suite of Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) hardware to support research aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Incubator is a temperature-controlled chamber, for conducting life science research with small animal, plant and microbial specimens. The Incubator is designed for use only on the ISS and is transported to/from the ISS, unpowered and without specimens, in the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) of the Shuttle. The Incubator interfaces with the three SSBRP Host Systems; the Habitat Holding Racks (HHR), the Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) and the 2.5 m Centrifuge Rotor (CR), providing investigators with the ability to conduct research in microgravity and at variable gravity levels of up to 2-g. The temperature within the Specimen Chamber can be controlled between 4 and 45 C. Cabin air is recirculated within the Specimen Chamber and can be exchanged with the ISS cabin at a rate of approximately equal 50 cc/min. The humidity of the Specimen Chamber is monitored. The Specimen Chamber has a usable volume of approximately equal 19 liters and contains two (2) connectors at 28v dc, (60W) for science equipment; 5 dedicated thermometers for science; ports to support analog and digital signals from experiment unique sensors or other equipment; an Ethernet port; and a video port. It is currently manifested for UF-3 and will be launched integrated within the first SSBRP Habitat Holding Rack.

JPL VLBI Data Acquisition Modernization Program has two Current Purposes with two different recording systems. One for Radio Reference Frame and Time & Earth Motion Observations - Uses MarkIV formatters and Mark5A recorders. One for Double Differential One Way Ranging for spacecraft tracking - Uses Wideband VLBI Science Receiver. We are currently working on a new modernized system to merge functions into one new hardware platform. It will replace the current MarkIV, PCFS and Mark5-A equipment. The new system will be called the JPL Deep Space Communications Complex VLBI Processor (DVP) It is based on hardware development at JPL, NRAO and Haystack. It uses a JPL designed digitizer and the CASPER ROACH board to perform digital backend processing: sampling, channelization, formatting. It uses Mark5C disk units to record data. It aims for compatibility with other VLBI centers recording equipment while conforming to JPL DSN system interface requirements.

Plans for the development of an international Space Station complex in cooperation with Japan, Canada, and the European Space Agency are reviewed. The discussion covers the planned uses of the Space Station, the principal research facilities, allocation of the resources available to the research facilities, and tactical and strategic planning related to the Space Station project. Particular attention is given to problems related to microgravity sciences and approaches to the solutions of these problems.

Plans for the development of an international Space Station complex in cooperation with Japan, Canada, and the European Space Agency are reviewed. The discussion covers the planned uses of the Space Station, the principal research facilities, allocation of the resources available to the research facilities, and tactical and strategic planning related to the Space Station project. Particular attention is given to problems related to microgravity sciences and approaches to the solutions of these problems.

sergekras@mail.ru The space sciences education and outreach project was initiated at Moscow State University in order to incorporate modern space research into the curriculum popularize the basics of space physics, and enhance public interest in space exploration. On 20 January 2005 the first Russian University Satellite “Universitetskiy-Tatyana” was launched into circular polar orbit (inclination 83 deg., altitude 940-980 km). The onboard scientific complex “Tatyana“, as well as the mission control and information receiving centre, was designed and developed at Moscow State University. The scientific programme of the mission includes measurements of space radiation in different energy channels and Earth UV luminosity and lightning. The current education programme consists of basic multimedia lectures “Life of the Earth in the Solar Atmosphere” and computerized practice exercises “Space Practice” (based on the quasi-real-time data obtained from “Universitetskiy-Tatyana” satellite and other Internet resources). A multimedia lectures LIFE OF EARTH IN THE SOLAR ATMOSPHERE containing the basic information and demonstrations of heliophysics (including Sun structure and solar activity, heliosphere and geophysics, solar-terrestrial connections and solar influence on the Earth’s life) was created for upper high-school and junior university students. For the upper-university students there a dozen special computerized hands-on exercises were created based on the experimental quasi-real-time data obtained from our satellites. Students specializing in space physics from a few Russian universities are involved in scientific work. Educational materials focus on upper high school, middle university and special level for space physics students. Moscow State University is now extending its space science education programme by creating multimedia lectures on remote sensing, space factors and materials study, satellite design and development, etc. The space

We propose an efficient framework to realistically simulate foam effects in which 3D water particles from a base water solver are first projected onto 2D screen space in order to reduce computational complexity of finding foam particles. Because foam effects are often created primarily in fast and complicated water flows, we analyze acceleration and curvature values to identify the areas exhibiting such flow patterns. Identified foam particles are emitted in 3D simulation space, and each foam particle is advected by its classified type based on its velocity, thereby capturing the essential characteristics of foam wave motions (e.g., floating waves or scattering bubbles). In addition, we provide an intuitive and flexible mechanism (e.g., user sketch or image) to customize parameters and control the appearance of foam effects while minimizing the occurrence of popping artifacts. Experiments convincingly demonstrate that the proposed approach is efficient and easy to use while delivering high-quality results.

This paper describes the Distributed Space Exploration Simulation (DSES) Project, a research and development collaboration between NASA centers which investigates technologies, and processes related to integrated, distributed simulation of complexspace systems in support of NASA's Exploration Initiative. In particular, it describes the three major components of DSES: network infrastructure, software infrastructure and simulation development. With regard to network infrastructure, DSES is developing a Distributed Simulation Network for use by all NASA centers. With regard to software, DSES is developing software models, tools and procedures that streamline distributed simulation development and provide an interoperable infrastructure for agency-wide integrated simulation. Finally, with regard to simulation development, DSES is developing an integrated end-to-end simulation capability to support NASA development of new exploration spacecraft and missions. This paper presents the current status and plans for these three areas, including examples of specific simulations.

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2017-0105 Space Object and Light Attribute Rendering (SOLAR) Projection System Manoranjan Majji RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF STATE...Sep 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Space Object and Light Attribute Rendering (SOLAR) Projection System 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER FA9550-15-1...called Space Object and Light Attribute Rendering (SOLAR) Projection System was developed under the auspices of the DURIP program. The developed

The Young People and Community SpaceProject documents the ways in which young people (aged 12 through 24 years) in New South Wales (Australia) use community space and explores ways in which conflicts in the use of community space can be addressed. Community space, for purposes of the study, includes privately owned places such as shopping centers…

It was 1969 when the first organic molecule in space, H2CO, was discovered. Since then many organic molecules were discovered by using the NRAO 11 m (upgraded later to 12 m), Nobeyama 45 m, IRAM 30 m, and other highly sensitive radio telescopes as a result of close collaboration between radio astronomers and microwave spectroscopists. It is noteworthy that many famous organic molecules such as CH3OH, C2H5OH, (CH3)2O and CH3NH2 were detected by 1975. Organic molecules were found in so-called hot cores where molecules were thought to form on cold dust surfaces and then to evaporate by the UV photons emitted from the central star. These days organic molecules are known to exist not only in hot cores but in hot corinos (a warm, compact molecular clump found in the inner envelope of a class 0 protostar) and even protoplanetary disks. As was described above, major organic molecules were known since 1970s. It was very natural that astronomers considered a relationship between organic molecules in space and the origin of life. Several astronomers challenged to detect glycine and other prebiotic molecules without success. ALMA is expected to detect such important materials to further consider the gexogenous deliveryh hypothesis. In this paper I summarize the history in searching for complex organic molecules together with difficulties in observing very weak signals from larger species. The awfully long list of references at the end of this article may be the most useful part for readers who want to feel the exciting discovery stories.

The results of the prototype operations of the Space Business Information Center are presented. A clearinghouse for space business information for members of the U.S. space industry composed of public, private, and academic sectors was conducted. Behavioral and evaluation statistics were recorded from the clearinghouse and the conclusions from these statistics are presented. Business guidebooks on major markets in space business are discussed. Proprietary research and briefings for firms and agencies in the space industry are also discussed.

The Space Environment Research Center (SERC), Kyushu University, is currently deploying a new ground-based magnetometer network of MAGnetic Data Acqusition System (MAGDAS), in cooperation with about 30 organizations in the world, in order to understand the complex Sun-Earth system for space weather research and application. SERC will conducts MAGDAS observation at 50 stations in the Circum-pan Pacific Magnetometer Network (CPMN) region, and FM-CW radar observation along the 210 deg. magnetic meridian (MM) during the IHY/ILWS/CAWSES periods. This project is actively providing the following space weather monitoring:(1) Global 3-dimensional current system to know electromagnetic coupling of the region 1 and 2 field-aligned currents, auroral electrojet current, Sq current, and equatorial electrojet current. (2) Plasma mass density along the 210 deg. MM to understand plasma environment change during space storms. (3) Ionospheric electric field intensity with 10-sec sampling at L = 1.26 to understand how the external electric field penetrates into the equatorial ionosphere.

Commanding complex robotic systems over long distances in an intuitive manner requires new techniques of man-machine- interaction. A first disadvantage of conventional approaches is that the user has to be a robotic expert because he directly has to command the robots. He often is part of the real-time control loop while moving the robot and thus has to cope with long delays. Experience with space robot missions showed that it is very difficult to control a robot just by camera images. At the IRF, a new approach to overcome such problems was developed. By means of Projective Virtual Reality, we introduce a new, intuitive way of man-machine communication based on a combination of action planning and Virtual Reality methods. Using data-helmet and data-glove the user can immerse into the virtual world and interact with the virtual objects as he would do in reality. The Virtual Reality System derives the user's intention from his actions and then projects the tasks in to the physical world by means of robots. The robots carry out the action physically that is equivalent to the user's action in the virtual world. The developed Projective Virtual Reality System is of especially great use for space applications. During the joint project GETEX (German ETS-VII Experiment), the IRF realized the telerobotic ground station for the free flying robot ERA on board the Japanese satellite ETS-VII. During the mission in April 1999 the Virtual Reality based command interface turned out to be an ideally suited platform for the intuitive commanding and supervision of the robot in space. During the mission, it first had to be verified that the system is fully operational, but then out Japanese colleagues allowed to take the full control over the real robot by the Projective Virtual Reality System. The final paper will describe key issues of this approach and the results and experiences gained during the GETEX mission.

The notion of pseudoconcave space is introduced and classical theorems on algebraic dependence of meromorphic functions are extended for this new class of spaces and for sections in a coherent sheaf. (Author)

NASA space life science activities are outlined. Brief, general descriptions are given of research in the areas of biomedical research, space biology, closed loop life support systems, exobiology, and biospherics.

In this paper, we present a complex-valued projection neural network for solving constrained convex optimization problems of real functions with complex variables, as an extension of real-valued projection neural networks. Theoretically, by developing results on complex-valued optimization techniques, we prove that the complex-valued projection neural network is globally stable and convergent to the optimal solution. Obtained results are completely established in the complex domain and thus significantly generalize existing results of the real-valued projection neural networks. Numerical simulations are presented to confirm the obtained results and effectiveness of the proposed complex-valued projection neural network.

In the IMAX Theater of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures" participate in a question and answer session. From the left are Pharrell Williams, musician and producer of “Hidden Figures," and Janelle Monáe, who portrays Mary Jackson in the film. The movie chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

In the IMAX Theater of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures" participate in a question and answer session. From the left are Ted Melfi, writer and director of “Hidden Figures,” and Octavia Spencer, who portrays Dorothy Vaughan in the film. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

In the IMAX Theater of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures" participate in a question and answer session. From the left are Taraji P. Henson, who portrays Katherine Johnson in the film, Pharrell Williams, musician and producer of “Hidden Figures," and Janelle Monáe, who portrays Mary Jackson. The movie chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

In the IMAX Theater of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures" participate in a question and answer session. From the left are Ted Melfi, writer and director of “Hidden Figures,” Octavia Spencer, who portrays Dorothy Vaughan in the film, Taraji P. Henson, who portrays Katherine Johnson, Pharrell Williams, musician and producer of “Hidden Figures," and Janelle Monáe, who portrays Mary Jackson. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

The `fit? of a garment is often considered to be a subjective measure of garment quality. However, some experts attest that a complaint of poor garment fit is a symptom of inadequate or excessive ease, the space between the garment and the wearer. Fit has traditionally been hard to quantify, and space suits are an extreme example, where fit is difficult to measure but crucial for safety and operability. A proper space suit fit is particularly challenging because of NASA?s need to fit an incredibly diverse population (males and females from the 1st to 99th percentile) while developing a minimum number of space suit sizes. Because so few sizes are available, the available space suits must be optimized so that each fits a large segment of the population without compromising the fit of any one wearer.

Three project systems are defined and summarized. The systems are: (1) a Solar Power Satellite (SPS) Development Flight Test Vehicle configured for fabrication and compatible with solar electric propulsion orbit transfer; (2) an Advanced Communications Platform configured for space fabrication and compatible with low thrust chemical orbit transfer propulsion; and (3) the same Platform, configured to be space erectable but still compatible with low thrust chemical orbit transfer propulsion. These project systems are intended to serve as configuration models for use in detailed analyses of space construction techniques and processes. They represent feasible concepts for real projects; real in the sense that they are realistic contenders on the list of candidate missions currently projected for the national space program. Thus, they represent reasonable configurations upon which to base early studies of alternative space construction processes.

NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology) has been in charge of space weather forecast service in Japan for more than 20 years. The main target region of the space weather is the geo-space in the vicinity of the Earth where human activities are dominant. In the geo-space, serious damages of satellites, international space stations and astronauts take place caused by energetic particles or electromagnetic disturbances: the origin of the causes is dynamically changing of solar activities. Positioning systems via GPS satellites are also im-portant recently. Since the most significant effect of positioning error comes from disturbances of the ionosphere, it is crucial to estimate time-dependent modulation of the electron density profiles in the ionosphere. NICT is one of the 13 members of the ISES (International Space Environment Service), which is an international assembly of space weather forecast centers under the UNESCO. With help of geo-space environment data exchanging among the member nations, NICT operates daily space weather forecast service every day to provide informa-tion on forecasts of solar flare, geomagnetic disturbances, solar proton event, and radio-wave propagation conditions in the ionosphere. The space weather forecast at NICT is conducted based on the three methodologies: observations, simulations and informatics (OSI model). For real-time or quasi real-time reporting of space weather, we conduct our original observations: Hiraiso solar observatory to monitor the solar activity (solar flare, coronal mass ejection, and so on), domestic ionosonde network, magnetometer HF radar observations in far-east Siberia, and south-east Asia low-latitude ionosonde network (SEALION). Real-time observation data to monitor solar and solar-wind activities are obtained through antennae at NICT from ACE and STEREO satellites. We have a middle-class super-computer (NEC SX-8R) to maintain real-time computer simulations for solar and solar

The JWST project at the GSFC is responsible for the development, launch, operations and science data processing for the James Webb Space Telescope. The JWST project is currently in phase B with its launch scheduled for August 2011. The project is a partnership between NASA, ESA and CSA. The U.S. JWST team is now fully in place with the selection of Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST) as the prime contractor for the telescope and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) as the mission operations and science data processing lead. This paper will provide an overview of the current JWST architecture and mission status including technology developments and risks.

The JWST project at the GSFC is responsible for the development, launch, operations and science data processing for the James Webb Space Telescope. The JWST project is currently in phase B with its launch scheduled for August 2011. The project is a partnership between NASA, ESA and CSA. The U.S. JWST team is now fully in place with the recent selection of Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST) as the prime contractor for the telescope and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) as the mission operations and science data processing lead. This paper will provide an overview of the current JWST architecture and mission status including technology developments and risks.

Different factors that can influence project performance have been identified, classified based on their nature, and discussed. Due to the inherent complexity and various problems encountered in implementing infrastructure project in developing countries, the project manager must appreciate the project environment, maintain flexibility, and be competent to analyze the nature of associated problems and their adverse effects on the success of the project, and address these promptly.

Project Explorer, a program of high school student experiments in space in a Space Shuttle self-contained payload unit (Getaway Special), sponsored by the Alabama Space and Rocket Center (ASRC) in cooperation with four Alabama universities is presented. Organizations aspects of the project, which is intended to promote public awareness of the space program and encourage space research, are considered, and the proposal selection procedure is outlined. The projects selected for inclusion in the self-contained payload canister purchased in 1977 and expected to be flown on an early shuttle mission include experiments on alloy solidification, electric plating, whisker growth, chick embryo development and human blood freezing, and an amateur radio experiment. Integration support activities planned and underway are summarized, and possible uses for a second payload canister purchased by ASRC are discussed.

Space-related educational activities is a very inspiring and attractive way to involve students into science courses, present them the variety of STEM careers that they can follow, while giving them at the same time the opportunity to develop various practical and communication skills necessary for their future professional development. As part of a large scale extracurricular course in Space Science, Space Technology and Robotics that has been introduced in our school, our students, divided in smaller groups of 3-4 students in each, try to understand the challenges that current and future space exploration is facing. Following a mixture of an inquiry-based learning methodology and hands-on practical activities related with constructions and experiments, students get a glimpse of the pre-mentioned fields. Our main goal is to gain practical knowledge and inspiration from the exciting field of Space, to attain an adequate level of team spirit and effective cooperation, while developing technical and research data-mining skills. We use the following two approaches: 1. Constructive (Technical) approach Designing and constructing various customized robotic machines, that will simulate the future space exploration vehicles and satellites needed to study the atmosphere, surface and subsurface of planets, moons or other planetary bodies of our solar system that have shown some promising indications for the existence of life, taking seriously into account their special characteristics and known existing conditions (like Mars, Titan, Europa & Enceladus). The STEM tools we use are the following: - LEGO Mindstorms: to construct rovers for surface exploration. - Hydrobots: an MIT's SeaPerch program for the construction of submarine semi-autonomous robots. - CanSats: Arduino-based microsatellites able to receive, record & transmit data. - Space balloons: appropriate for high altitude atmospheric measurements & photography. 2. Scientific approach Conducting interesting physics

The space simulation chambers at the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) have performed space sensor characterization, calibration, and mission simulation testing on space-based, interceptor, and air-borne sensors for more than three decades. A continual effort to implement the latest scene simulation and projection technologies into these ground-based space sensor test chambers is necessary to properly manage the development of space defense systems. This requires the integration of high-fidelity, complex, dynamic scene projection systems that can provide the simulation of the desired target temperatures and ranges. The technologies to accomplish this include multiple-band source subsystems and special spectral tailoring methods, as well as comprehensive analysis and optical properties measurements of the components involved. Implementation of such techniques in the AEDC space sensor test facilities is discussed in this paper.

Applications of automation, robotics, and machine intelligence systems (ARAMIS) to space activities, and their related ground support functions are studied so that informed decisions can be made on which aspects of ARAMIS to develop. The spaceproject breakdowns, which are used to identify tasks ('functional elements'), are described. The study method concentrates on the production of a matrix relating spaceproject tasks to pieces of ARAMIS.

Applications of automation, robotics, and machine intelligence systems (ARAMIS) to space activities, and their related ground support functions are studied so that informed decisions can be made on which aspects of ARAMIS to develop. The spaceproject breakdowns, which are used to identify tasks ('functional elements'), are described. The study method concentrates on the production of a matrix relating spaceproject tasks to pieces of ARAMIS.

Management issues relevant to the development and deployment of large international space ventures are discussed with particular attention given to previous experience. Management approaches utilized in the past are labeled as either simple or complex, and signs of efficient management are examined. Simple approaches include those in which experiments and subsystems are developed for integration into spacecraft, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project is given as an example of a simple multinational approach. Complex approaches include those for ESA's Spacelab Project and the Space Station Freedom in which functional interfaces cross agency and political boundaries. It is concluded that individual elements of space programs should be managed by individual participating agencies, and overall configuration control is coordinated by level with a program director acting to manage overall objectives and project interfaces.

Management issues relevant to the development and deployment of large international space ventures are discussed with particular attention given to previous experience. Management approaches utilized in the past are labeled as either simple or complex, and signs of efficient management are examined. Simple approaches include those in which experiments and subsystems are developed for integration into spacecraft, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project is given as an example of a simple multinational approach. Complex approaches include those for ESA's Spacelab Project and the Space Station Freedom in which functional interfaces cross agency and political boundaries. It is concluded that individual elements of space programs should be managed by individual participating agencies, and overall configuration control is coordinated by level with a program director acting to manage overall objectives and project interfaces.

This paper describes Project Management at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from a strategic perspective. It develops the historical context of the agency and center's strategic planning process and illustrates how now is the time for KSC to become a center which has excellence in project management. The author describes project management activities at the center and details observations on those efforts. Finally the author describes the Strategic Project Management Process Model as a conceptual model which could assist KSC in defining an appropriate project management process system at the center.

CELE's International Pilot Project on Evaluating Quality in Educational Spaces aims to assist education authorities, schools and others to maximise the use of and investment in learning environments. This article provides an update on the pilot project, which is currently being implemented in Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal and the United…

Family writing projects can change the nature of classroom writing instruction and rejuvenate teachers. Marilyn McKinney, Saralyn Lasley, and Rosemary Holmes-Gull report on their study of one such project in an urban school district. Using the concept of "third space," they describe the influence of this family literacy program on…

CELE's International Pilot Project on Evaluating Quality in Educational Spaces aims to assist education authorities, schools and others to maximise the use of and investment in learning environments. This article provides an update on the pilot project, which is currently being implemented in Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal and the United…

An 'open specification' for SpaceProject Mission Operations Control Architectures is under development in the Spacecraft Control Working Group of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astro- nautics. This architecture identifies 5 basic elements incorporated in the design of similar operations systems: Data, System Management, Control Interface, Decision Support Engine, & Space Messaging Service.

Monochromatic sound source localization becomes difficult in enclosed space. According to the reciprocity theorem, a self-consistent method of source localization in enclosed space, referred to as the flux projection beamforming, is proposed, only using the measurement of the sound pressure and normal velocity on the closed boundary at a single frequency. Its validity is examined both by experiment and simulation.

Space surveillance is an increasingly complex task, requiring the coordination of a multitude of organizations and systems, while dealing with competing capabilities, proprietary processes, differing standards, and compliance issues. In order to fully understand space surveillance operations, analysts and engineers need to analyze and break down their operations and systems using what are essentially enterprise architecture processes and techniques. These techniques can be daunting to the first- time architect. This paper provides a summary of simplified steps to analyze a space surveillance system at the enterprise level in order to determine capabilities, services, and systems. These steps form the core of an initial Model-Based Architecting process. For new systems, a well defined, or well architected, space surveillance enterprise leads to an easier transition from model-based architecture to model-based design and provides a greater likelihood that requirements are fulfilled the first time. Both new and existing systems benefit from being easier to manage, and can be sustained more easily using portfolio management techniques, based around capabilities documented in the model repository. The resulting enterprise model helps an architect avoid 1) costly, faulty portfolio decisions; 2) wasteful technology refresh efforts; 3) upgrade and transition nightmares; and 4) non-compliance with DoDAF directives. The Model-Based Architecting steps are based on a process that Harris Corporation has developed from practical experience architecting space surveillance systems and ground systems. Examples are drawn from current work on documenting space situational awareness enterprises. The process is centered on DoDAF 2 and its corresponding meta-model so that terminology is standardized and communicable across any disciplines that know DoDAF architecting, including acquisition, engineering and sustainment disciplines. Each step provides a guideline for the type of data to

Students and faculty from Mapletown Jr/Sr High School and Margaret Bell Middle School listen as John Grunsfeld, NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, speaks about his experiences on the final space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope during the NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Event in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, May 5, 2014. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Dr. Amber Straughn, Lead Scientist for James Webb Space Telescope Education & Public Outreach at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks to students from Mapletown Jr/Sr High School and Margaret Bell Middle School during the NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Event in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, May 5, 2014 Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Given conformal data on a flat Euclidean space, we use crosscap conformal bootstrap equations to numerically solve the Lee-Yang model as well as the critical Ising model on a three dimensional real projectivespace. We check the rapid convergence of our bootstrap program in two dimensions from the exact solutions available. Based on the comparison, we estimate that our systematic error on the numerically solved one-point functions of the critical Ising model on a three dimensional real projectivespace is less than 1%. Our method opens up a novel way to solve conformal field theories on nontrivial geometries.

'Global Change Encyclopedia' is a project for the International Space Year in 1992. The project will produce a comprehensive set of satellite and other global data with relevance to studies of global change and of the earth as a system. These data will be packaged on CD-ROMs, accompanied by appropriate software for access, display and manipulation. On behalf of the Canadian Space Agency, the project is being carried out by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration as major contributors. This paper highlights the background leading to the project, the concept and principal characteristics of the Encyclopedia itself, and the current status and plans.

The External Tank Project is reviewed with emphasis on the DDT&E and production phases and the lightweight tank development. It is noted that the DDT&E phase is progressing well with the structural and ground vibration test article programs complete, the propulsion test article program progressing well, and the component qualification and verification testing 92% complete. New tools and facilities are being brought on line to support the increased build rate for the production phase. The lightweight tank, which will provide additional payload in orbit, is progressing to schedule with first delivery in early 1982.

The experiment objectives, design/operational concepts, and final results of each of nine scientific experiments conducted during the first Space Processing Applications Rocket (SPAR) flight are summarized. The nine individual SPAR experiments, covering a wide and varied range of scientific materials processing objectives, were entitled: solidification of Pb-Sb eutectic, feasibility of producing closed-cell metal foams, characterization of rocket vibration environment by measurement of mixing of two liquids, uniform dispersions of crystallization processing, direct observation of solidification as a function of gravity levels, casting thoria dispersion-strengthened interfaces, contained polycrystalline solidification, and preparation of a special alloy for manufacturing of magnetic hard superconductor under zero-g environment.

This document presented the engineering report and science payload III test report and summarized the experiment objectives, design/operational concepts, and final results of each of five scientific experiments conducted during the third Space Processing Applications Rocket (SPAR) flight flown by NASA in December 1976. The five individual SPAR experiments, covering a wide and varied range of scientific materials processing objectives, were entitled: Liquid Mixing, Interaction of Bubbles with Solidification Interfaces, Epitaxial Growth of Single Crystal Film, Containerless Processing of Beryllium, and Contact and Coalescence of Viscous Bodies.

The subject of space medico-engineering which takes manned space flight as its own task, played an important role in China's manned spaceproject, and developed rapidly. According to China's next three manned space objectives: 1) to develop the technology of extra-vehicle activity (EVA) and test the astronauts' performance ability of EVA; 2) to develop the technology of docking with other object spacecraft in space; 3) to found a relatively large space lab, the research directions and key technology of space medico-engineering have been given, including astronaut's selection and training; requirements and evaluation of medicine and ergonomics of the space lab design; the researches of fields in astronauts' medical monitoring and space medicine; technology of environmental control and life support system in space module; technology of EVA or docking; and technology of simulation of astronaut's training.

This handbook is a companion to NPR 7120.5E, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements and supports the implementation of the requirements by which NASA formulates and implements space flight programs and projects. Its focus is on what the program or project manager needs to know to accomplish the mission, but it also contains guidance that enhances the understanding of the high-level procedural requirements. (See Appendix C for NPR 7120.5E requirements with rationale.) As such, it starts with the same basic concepts but provides context, rationale, guidance, and a greater depth of detail for the fundamental principles of program and project management. This handbook also explores some of the nuances and implications of applying the procedural requirements, for example, how the Agency Baseline Commitment agreement evolves over time as a program or project moves through its life cycle.

Electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) provides 3D images of absolute oxygen concentration (pO2) in vivo with excellent spatial and pO2 resolution. When investigating such physiologic parameters in living animals, the situation is inherently dynamic. Improvements in temporal resolution and experimental versatility are necessary to properly study such a system. Uniformly distributed projections result in efficient use of data for image reconstruction. This has dictated current methods such as equal-solid-angle (ESA) spacing of projections. However, acquisition sequencing must still be optimized to achieve uniformity throughout imaging. An object-independent method for uniform acquisition of projections, using the ESA uniform distribution for the final set of projections, is presented. Each successive projection maximizes the distance in the gradient space between itself and prior projections. This maximally spacedprojection sequencing (MSPS) method improves image quality for intermediate images reconstructed from incomplete projection sets, enabling useful real-time reconstruction. This method also provides improved experimental versatility, reduced artifacts, and the ability to adjust temporal resolution post factum to best fit the data and its application. The MSPS method in EPRI provides the improvements necessary to more appropriately study a dynamic system. PMID:26185490

The current first phase (2006-2011) has the three major goals of: 1) optimizing the conventional cancer risk models currently used based on the double-detriment life-table and radiation quality functions; 2) the integration of biophysical models of acute radiation syndromes; and 3) the development of new systems radiation biology models of cancer processes. The first-phase also includes continued uncertainty assessment of space radiation environmental models and transport codes, and relative biological effectiveness factors (RBE) based on flight data and NSRL results, respectively. The second phase of the (2012-2016) will: 1) develop biophysical models of central nervous system risks (CNS); 2) achieve comphrensive systems biology models of cancer processes using data from proton and heavy ion studies performed at NSRL; and 3) begin to identify computational models of biological countermeasures. Goals for the third phase (2017-2021) include: 1) the development of a systems biology model of cancer risks for operational use at NASA; 2) development of models of degenerative risks, 2) quantitative models of counter-measure impacts on cancer risks; and 3) indiviudal based risk assessments. Finally, we will support a decision point to continue NSRL research in support of NASA's exploration goals beyond 2021, and create an archival of NSRL research results for continued analysis. Details on near term goals, plans for a WEB based data resource of NSRL results, and a space radiation Wikepedia are described.

Since 2008, with the successful launch of the first Venezuelan telecommunication satellite VENESAT-1, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela became an active player in the international space sector aimed at using space science and technology as a powerful tool to promote the national development. Based on that, through the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE), Venezuela has been implemented several spaceprojects such as the manufacturing and launch of the first Venezuelan remote sensing satellite, the construction of a design center for small satellite technologies, as well as research and development activities related with the estimation of the physical properties of the Earth. This paper presents a brief description of the current spaceprojects that are being developed by Venezuela.

The Space Radiation Effects on Inflatable Habitat Materials project provides much needed risk reduction data to assess space radiation damage of existing and emerging materials used in manned low-earth orbit, lunar, interplanetary, and Martian surface missions. More specifically, long duration (up to 50 years) space radiation damage will be quantified for materials used in inflatable structures (1st priority), as well as for habitable composite structures and space suits materials (2nd priority). The data acquired will have relevance for nonmetallic materials (polymers and composites) used in NASA missions where long duration reliability is needed in continuous or intermittent radiation fluxes. This project also will help to determine the service lifetimes for habitable inflatable, composite, and space suit materials.

Spacecraft propulsion and power for many decades has relied on Hydrazine monopropellant technology for auxiliary power units (APU), orbital circularization, orbit raising/lowering and attitude control. However, Hydrazine is toxic and therefore requires special ground handling procedures to ensure launch crew safety. The Swedish Company ECAPS has developed a technology based upon the propellant Ammonium Dinitramide (ADN) that offers higher performance, higher density and reduced ground handling support than Hydrazine. This blended propellant is called LMP-103S. Currently, the United States Air Force (USAF) is pursuing a technology based on Hydroxyl Ammonium Nitrate (HAN, otherwise known as AF-M315E) with industry partners Aerojet and Moog. Based on the advantages offered by these propellants, MSFC should explore powering APU's with these propellants. Due to the availability of space hardware, the principal investigator has found a collection of USAF hardware, that will act as a surrogate, which operates on a Hydrazine derivative. The F-16 fighter jet uses H-70 or 30% diluted Hydrazine for an Emergency Power Unit (EPU) which supplies power to the plane. The PI has acquired two EPU's from planes slated for destruction at the Davis Monthan AFB. This CIF will include a partnership with 2 other NASA Centers who are individually seeking seed funds from their respective organizations: Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). KSC is preparing for future flights from their launch pads that will utilize green propellants and desire a low-cost testbed in which to test and calibrate new leak detection sensors. DFRC has access to F-16's which can be used by MSFC & KSC to perform a ground test that demonstrates emergency power supplied to the jet. Neither of the green propellant alternatives have been considered nor evaluated for an APU application. Work has already been accomplished to characterize and obtain the properties of these 2 propellants

John Grunsfeld, NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, speaks to students from Mapletown Jr/Sr High School and Margaret Bell Middle School about his experiences on the final space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope during the NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Event in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, May 5, 2014. Grunsfeld flew on three of the five servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

In the IMAX Theater of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures" participate in a question and answer session. From the left are Octavia Spencer, who portrays Dorothy Vaughan in the film, Taraji P. Henson, who portrays Katherine Johnson, Janelle Monáe, who portrays Mary Jackson, Pharrell Williams, musician and producer of “Hidden Figures," Ted Melfi, writer and director of “Hidden Figures,” center director Bob Cabana, and Janet Petro, deputy center director. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

Cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures" participate in a question and answer session at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. From the left are Pharrell Williams, musician and producer of “Hidden Figures," Taraji P. Henson, who portrays Katherine Johnson in the film, Janelle Monáe, who portrays Mary Jackson, and Octavia Spencer, who portrays Dorothy Vaughan. They are seated in front of the original consoles of the Mercury Mission Control room with the world map that was used to follow the path of capsules between tracking stations. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

Dissipative quantum trajectories in complexspace are investigated in the framework of the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation provides a phenomenological description for dissipative quantum systems. Substituting the wave function expressed in terms of the complex action into the complex-extended logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we derive the complex quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation including the dissipative potential. It is shown that dissipative quantum trajectories satisfy a quantum Newtonian equation of motion in complexspace with a friction force. Exact dissipative complex quantum trajectories are analyzed for the wave and solitonlike solutions to the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the damped harmonic oscillator. These trajectories converge to the equilibrium position as time evolves. It is indicated that dissipative complex quantum trajectories for the wave and solitonlike solutions are identical to dissipative complex classical trajectories for the damped harmonic oscillator. This study develops a theoretical framework for dissipative quantum trajectories in complexspace.

Dissipative quantum trajectories in complexspace are investigated in the framework of the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation provides a phenomenological description for dissipative quantum systems. Substituting the wave function expressed in terms of the complex action into the complex-extended logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we derive the complex quantum Hamilton–Jacobi equation including the dissipative potential. It is shown that dissipative quantum trajectories satisfy a quantum Newtonian equation of motion in complexspace with a friction force. Exact dissipative complex quantum trajectories are analyzed for the wave and solitonlike solutions to the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the damped harmonic oscillator. These trajectories converge to the equilibrium position as time evolves. It is indicated that dissipative complex quantum trajectories for the wave and solitonlike solutions are identical to dissipative complex classical trajectories for the damped harmonic oscillator. This study develops a theoretical framework for dissipative quantum trajectories in complexspace.

Current spaceproject cost models attempt to predict space flight project cost via regression equations, which relate the cost of projects to technical performance metrics (e.g. weight, thrust, power, pointing accuracy, etc.). This paper examines the introduction of engineering management parameters to the set of explanatory variables. A number of specific engineering management variables are considered and exploratory regression analysis is performed to determine if there is statistical evidence for cost effects apart from technical aspects of the projects. It is concluded that there are other non-technical effects at work and that further research is warranted to determine if it can be shown that these cost effects are definitely related to engineering management.

A quantum theory in a finite-dimensional Hilbert space can be formulated as a proper geometric Hamiltonian theory as explained in [2, 3, 7, 9]. From this point of view a quantum system can be described within a classical-like framework where quantum dynamics is represented by a Hamiltonian flow in the phase space given by a projective Hilbert space. This paper is devoted to investigating how the notion of an accessibility algebra from classical control theory can be applied within the geometric Hamiltonian formulation of quantum mechanics to study controllability of a quantum system. A new characterization of quantum controllability in terms of Killing vector fields w.r.t. the Fubini-Study metric on projectivespace is also discussed.

Many students probably know something about space from playing computer games or watching movies and TV shows. Teachers can expose them to the real thing by launching their experiments into near space on a weather balloon. This article describes how to use high-altitude ballooning (HAB) as a culminating project to a chemistry unit on experimental…

Many students probably know something about space from playing computer games or watching movies and TV shows. Teachers can expose them to the real thing by launching their experiments into near space on a weather balloon. This article describes how to use high-altitude ballooning (HAB) as a culminating project to a chemistry unit on experimental…

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks to students from Mapletown Jr/Sr High School and Margaret Bell Middle School during the NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Event in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, May 5, 2014. Administrator Bolden spoke about his involvement with the Hubble Space Telescope and took questions from the students. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The Constellation Program is the medium by which we will maintain a presence in low Earth orbit, return to the moon for further exploration and develop procedures for Mars exploration. The foundation for its presence and success is built by the many individuals that have given of their time, talent and even lives to help propel the mission and objectives of NASA. The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Faculty Fellows Program is a direct contributor to the success of directorate and Constellation Program objectives. It is through programs such as the ESMD Space Grant program that students are inspired and challenged to achieve the technological heights that will propel us to meet the goals and objectives of ESMD and the Constellation Program. It is through ESMD Space Grant programs that future NASA scientists, engineers, and mathematicians begin to dream of taking America to newer heights of space exploration. The ESMD Space Grant program is to be commended for taking the initiative to develop and implement programs that help solidify the mission of NASA. With the concerted efforts of the Kennedy Space Center educational staff, the 2009 ESMD Space Grant Summer Faculty Fellows Program allowed faculty to become more involved with NASA personnel relating to exploration topics for the senior design projects. The 2009 Project was specifically directed towards NASA's Strategic Educational Outcome 1. In-situ placement of Faculty Fellows at the NASA field Centers was essential; this allowed personal interactions with NASA scientists and engineers. In particular, this was critical to better understanding the NASA problems and begin developing a senior design effort to solve the problems. The Faculty Fellows are pleased that the ESMD Space Grant program is taking interest in developing the Senior Design courses at the university level. These courses are needed to help develop the NASA engineers and scientists of the very near future. It has been a pleasure to be

This presentation discusses the projectcomplexity determination process that was developed by National Security Technologies, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office for implementation at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The complexity determination process was developed to address the diversity of NNSS project types, size, and complexity; to fill the need for one procedure but with provision for tailoring the level of rigor to the project type, size, and complexity; and to provide consistent, repeatable, effective application of project management processes across the enterprise; and to achieve higher levels of efficiency in project delivery. These needs are illustrated by the wide diversity of NNSS projects: Defense Experimentation, Global Security, weapons tests, military training areas, sensor development and testing, training in realistic environments, intelligence community support, sensor development, environmental restoration/waste management, and disposal of radioactive waste, among others.

Space activities are increasingly important in areas such as environment, science, navigation and security. Space Situational Awareness (SSA) refers to the knowledge of location and function of space objects and the space environment. The development of an SSA capability will allow the European Union (EU) and its Member States to better use space, strengthening their security and economy. The "Support to Precursor space situational Awareness services" (SPA) project is an FP7 Support Action managed by the European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC) under the full control of EU Member States and implemented with the collaboration of SSA Key Stakeholders. SPA is studying possible SSA Governance and Data Policy models in the EUSC secure environment by experimenting with a number of SSA preliminary services relevant to civilian security and to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) such as Satellite Over-flight, Satellite Conjunction Warning and Space Re-entry Prediction. The final output of the SPA project will be a report providing recommendations for further development of SSA in Europe, particularly on the technical aspects of its Governance and Data Policy.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and NASA jointly selected seven projects for commercialization to reduce NASA's fiscal year 1990 budget request and to help achieve the goal of increasing private sector involvement in space. However, the efforts to privately finance these seven projects did not increase the commercial sector's involvement in space to the extent desired. The General Accounting Office (GAO) determined that the projects selected were not a fair test of the potential of increasing commercial investment in space at an acceptable cost to the government, primarily because the projects were not properly screened. That is, neither their suitability for commercialization nor the economic consequences of seeking private financing for them were adequately evaluated before selection. Evaluations and market tests done after selection showed that most of the projects were not viable candidates for private financing. GAO concluded that projects should not be removed from NASA's budget for commercial development until after careful screening has been done to determine whether adequate commercial demand exists, development risks are commercially acceptable and private financing is found or judged to be highly likely, and the cost effectiveness of such a decision is acceptable. Premature removal of projects from NASA's budget ultimately can cause project delays and increased costs when unsuccessful commercialization candidates must be returned to the budget. NASA also needs to ensure appropriate comparisons of government and private financing options for future commercialization projects.

This plan defines the Space Geodesy Project (SGP) policies, procedures, and requirements for Information and Configuration Management (CM). This procedure describes a process that is intended to ensure that all proposed and approved technical and programmatic baselines and changes to the SGP hardware, software, support systems, and equipment are documented.

Movement is relatively invisible in literacy theory and pedagogy. There has been more recent scholarship on the body and embodiment, but less on connections between movements, body and literacy. In this article, we present the Community Arts Zone movement project and ways that the study opened up spaces for creativity, experimentation, and…

The purpose of this project is to provide a process for loan of Columbia debris to qualified researchers and technical educators to: (1) Aid in advanced spacecraft design and flight safety development (2) Advance the study of hypersonic re-entry to enhance ground safety. (3) Train and instruct accident investigators and (4) Establish an enduring legacy for Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew.

The results of a study of space radiation hazards to Project Skylab photographic film are presented. Radiation components include trapped protons, trapped electrons, bremsstrahlung, and galactic cosmic radiation. The shielding afforded by the Skylab cluster is taken into account with a 5000 volume element mathematical model. A preliminary survey of expected proton spectrometer data is reported.

The Skylab Student Project some 4000 students submitted experiments from which twenty-five national winners were selected. Of these, eleven required special flight hardware, eight were allowed to obtain data using hardware available for professional investigations, and the remaining six were affiliated with researchers in alternate fields, since their proposals could not be accommodated due to complexity or similar incompatibility. The background of the project is elaborated and experiment performance results and evaluations are touched upon.

"This article is a review of--and response to--a special issue of Mathematical Population Studies that focused on the relative performance of simpler vs. more complex population projection models. I do not attempt to summarize or comment on each of the articles in the special issue, but rather present an additional perspective on several points: definitions of simplicity and complexity, empirical evidence regarding population forecast accuracy, the costs and benefits of disaggregation, the potential benefits of combining forecasts, criteria for evaluating projection models, and issues of economic efficiency in the production of population projections."

The Educational Technology Center (ETC) Complex Systems Project was initiated to explore ways of using computers to help students understand systems which have often proven too complex for most high school students to understand. Preliminary work concentrated on the cognitive processes involved in modeling simple systems. This paper describes an…

The Educational Technology Center (ETC) Complex Systems Project was initiated to explore ways of using computers to help students understand systems which have often proven too complex for most high school students to understand. Preliminary work concentrated on the cognitive processes involved in modeling simple systems. This paper describes an…

The Great Nebula in Carina is a superb site to study the violent massive star formation and feedback that typifies giant HII regions and starburst galaxies. We have combined 20 deep, new Chandra ACIS-I pointings with two existing ACIS-I fields to map over one square degree of the Carina complex. A state-of-the-art source detection algorithm has been used to create a catalog of 14,368 x-ray sources, the great majority with counterparts at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. Carina contains the largest catalogued population of OB stars within 3 kpc, including many known binaries. In this paper, we report on the 130 x-ray detected OB and Wolf-Rayet Stars in the Carina complex. We use their x-ray spectra and light curves to categorize their x-ray emission. Not surprisingly, we find that the known OB and WolfRayet binaries have hard x-ray spectra and high Lx/Lbol strongly suggesting colling wind shocks. Most of the single OB stars have generally lower shock temperatures and lower Lx/Lbol, suggesting wind shocks embedded in the wind. About a dozen of the apparently single OB stars have harder x-ray spectra, and some time variability, possibly suggesting magnetically confined wind shocks, or flaring T Tauri companions.

The NASA Space Radiation Risk project is responsible for integrating new experimental and computational results into models to predict risk of cancer and acute radiation syndrome (ARS) for use in mission planning and systems design, as well as current space operations. The project has several parallel efforts focused on proving NASA's radiation risk projection capability in both the near and long term. This presentation will give an overview, with select results from these efforts including the following topics: verification, validation, and streamlining the transition of models to use in decision making; relative biological effectiveness and dose rate effect estimation using a combination of stochastic track structure simulations, DNA damage model calculations and experimental data; ARS model improvements; pathway analysis from gene expression data sets; solar particle event probabilistic exposure calculation including correlated uncertainties for use in design optimization.

Simple and complex (Sternberg) reaction time studies were flown on three and seven day Shuttle flights in 1985. Three subjects did selftesting with an onboard handheld calculator without difficulty. There was little change in simple reaction time. One subject demonstrated a decrease in the processing rate during space motion sickness while a second exhibited an increase in complex reaction time without a change in processing rate during a period of high work load. The population was too small to demonstrate significant changes. This study demonstrates the ease and practicality of such measurements and indicates the potential value of such studies in space.

Overall CLEANSPACE objective is to define a global architecture (including surveillance, identification and tracking) for an innovative ground-based laser solution which can remove hazardous medium debris around selected space assets. The CLEANSPACE project is realized by an European consortium in the frame of the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), Space theme. The paper, in the first part, will present general information about the CLEANSPACE including the main drivers and requirements. Orbital requirements of space debris which have to be reached in the project will be discussed in the second part of the paper. Proposed systems of removal space debris objects with the use of sequence of laser operations, like the CLEANSPACE system, needs very precise predictions of future space debris orbital positions, on a level even better than 1 meter. Orbit determination, tracking (radar, optical and laser) and orbit prediction have to be performed with accuracy much better than so far. The applied prediction tools have to take into account all perturbation factors which influence object orbit, mainly geopotential effects with arbitrary degree and order spherical harmonic coefficients, luni-solar attractions, solar radiation pressure and atmospheric drag. In our paper we discuss the influence of all important perturbation factors on the space debris orbital motion, taking into account different contemporary force models, in particular, geopotential models, atmospheric models and the Sun and the Moon ephemeris.

This paper documents the technique of using hundreds or thousands of projected dots of light as targets for photogrammetry and videogrammetry of gossamer space structures. Photogrammetry calculates the three-dimensional coordinates of each target on the structure, and videogrammetry tracks the coordinates versus time. Gossamer structures characteristically contain large areas of delicate, thin-film membranes. Examples include solar sails, large antennas, inflatable solar arrays, solar power concentrators and transmitters, sun shields, and planetary balloons and habitats. Using projected-dot targets avoids the unwanted mass, stiffness, and installation costs of traditional retroreflective adhesive targets. Four laboratory applications are covered that demonstrate the practical effectiveness of white-light dot projection for both static-shape and dynamic measurement of reflective and diffuse surfaces, respectively. Comparisons are made between dot-projection videogrammetry and traditional laser vibrometry for membrane vibration measurements. The paper closes by introducing a promising extension of existing techniques using a novel laser-induced fluorescence approach.

Autonomous space object tracking under complexspace environment is a popular topic in space engineering research. However, it is a challenging task for measurement equipment, implementing navigation under complex environment, and tracking object with unknown trajectory. An algorithm for space object tracking and azimuth determination using star tracker technology is the first time proposed in this paper. It includes two major steps, star tracking and object tracking. In star tracking stage, a motion-vector algorithm is the first time exploring to track stars in sequence images, which can track stars under complexspace environment. With the tracked stars, the star tracker's attitude can be updated in real-time. In object tracking stage, with the obtained attitude of the star tracker, the Kalman filter (KF) model is built to predict the object state. It takes the measured azimuth as observations rather than the object coordinates in CCD plane, which can avoid the computational complexity due to matrix derivations compared to traditional Extend-Kalman filter, and its convergence rate of the filter is improved consequently. The azimuth and the velocity of the object can be updated by the KF prediction process. In addition, different levels of background noise were added to simulate the complexspace environment, and an artificial object is also added in frame with non-linear trajectory in CCD plane. The feasibility of the proposed methods is validated using synthesized sequence images which contain object motions. The simulated results show that the algorithm proposed can track stars and object successfully.

Project LAUNCH is a K-12 teacher professional development program, which has been created in collaboration between the Whitaker Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), and the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI). Utilizing Space as the overarching theme it is designed to improve mathematics and science teaching, using inquiry based, hands-on teaching practices, which are aligned with Florida s Sunshine State Standards. Many students are excited about space exploration and it provides a great venue to get them involved in science and mathematics. The scope of Project LAUNCH however goes beyond just providing competency in the subject area, as pedagogy is also an intricate part of the project. Participants were introduced to the Conceptual Change Model (CCM) [1] as a framework to model good teaching practices. As the CCM closely follows what scientists call the scientific process, this teaching method is also useful to actively engage institute participants ,as well as their students, in real science. Project LAUNCH specifically targets teachers in low performing, high socioeconomic schools, where the need for skilled teachers is most critical.

Project LAUNCH is a K-12 teacher professional development program, which has been created in collaboration between the Whitaker Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), and the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI). Utilizing Space as the overarching theme it is designed to improve mathematics and science teaching, using inquiry based, hands-on teaching practices, which are aligned with Florida s Sunshine State Standards. Many students are excited about space exploration and it provides a great venue to get them involved in science and mathematics. The scope of Project LAUNCH however goes beyond just providing competency in the subject area, as pedagogy is also an intricate part of the project. Participants were introduced to the Conceptual Change Model (CCM) [1] as a framework to model good teaching practices. As the CCM closely follows what scientists call the scientific process, this teaching method is also useful to actively engage institute participants ,as well as their students, in real science. Project LAUNCH specifically targets teachers in low performing, high socioeconomic schools, where the need for skilled teachers is most critical.

Uncertainties in estimating health risks from galactic cosmic rays greatly limit space mission lengths and potential risk mitigation evaluations. NASA limits astronaut exposures to a 3% risk of exposure-induced death and protects against uncertainties using an assessment of 95% confidence intervals in the projection model. Revisions to this model for lifetime cancer risks from space radiation and new estimates of model uncertainties are described here. We review models of space environments and transport code predictions of organ exposures, and characterize uncertainties in these descriptions. We summarize recent analysis of low linear energy transfer radio-epidemiology data, including revision to Japanese A-bomb survivor dosimetry, longer follow-up of exposed cohorts, and reassessments of dose and dose-rate reduction effectiveness factors. We compare these projections and uncertainties with earlier estimates. Current understanding of radiation quality effects and recent data on factors of relative biological effectiveness and particle track structure are reviewed. Recent radiobiology experiment results provide new information on solid cancer and leukemia risks from heavy ions. We also consider deviations from the paradigm of linearity at low doses of heavy ions motivated by non-targeted effects models. New findings and knowledge are used to revise the NASA risk projection model for space radiation cancer risks.

The health risks faced by astronauts from space radiation include cancer, cataracts, hereditary effects, CNS risks, and non - cancer morbidity and mortality risks related to the diseases of the old age. Methods used to project risks in low -Earth orbit are of questionable merit for exploration missions because of the limited radiobiology data and knowledge of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) heavy ions, which causes estimates of the risk of late effects to be highly uncertain. Risk projections involve a product of many biological and physical factors, each of which has a differential range of uncertainty due to lack of data and knowledge. Within the linear-additivity model, we use Monte-Carlo sampling from subjective uncertainty distributions in each factor to obtain a maximum likelihood estimate of the overall uncertainty in risk projections. The resulting methodology is applied to several human space exploration mission scenarios including ISS, lunar station, deep space outpost, and Mar's missions of duration of 360, 660, and 1000 days. The major results are the quantification of the uncertainties in current risk estimates, the identification of the primary factors that dominate risk projection uncertainties, and the development of a method to quantify candidate approaches to reduce uncertainties or mitigate risks. The large uncertainties in GCR risk projections lead to probability distributions of risk that mask any potential risk reduction using the "optimization" of shielding materials or configurations. In contrast, the design of shielding optimization approaches for solar particle events and trapped protons can be made at this time, and promising technologies can be shown to have merit using our approach. The methods used also make it possible to express risk management objectives in terms of quantitative objectives, i.e., number of days in space without exceeding a given risk level within well defined confidence limits

Here I shine light on the concept of and call for safe space and on the implicit argument that seems to undergird both the concept and the call, complicating and problematizing the taken for granted view of this issue with the goal of revealing a more complex dynamic worthy of interpretive attention when determining educational response. I…

This paper utilizes the optical cross section (OCS) to characterize the optical scattering characteristics of a space target under the conditions of Sun lighting. We derive the mathematical expression of OCS according to the radiometric theory, and put forward a fast visualization calculation method of complexspace targets' OCS based on an OpenGL and 3D model. Through the OCS simulation of Lambert bodies (cylinder and sphere), the computational accuracy and speed of the algorithm were verified. By using this method, the relative error for OCS will not exceed 0.1%, and it only takes 0.05 s to complete a complex calculation. Additionally, we calculated the OCS of three actual satellites with bidirectional reflectance distribution function model parameters in visible bands, and results indicate that it is easy to distinguish the three targets by comparing their OCS curves. This work is helpful for the identification and classification of unresolved space target based on photometric characteristics.

With the introduction of CMOS technology radiation effects in components became an important issue in satellite and space mission projects. At the end of the cold war, the market of radiation hard (RadHard) components crashed and during the 90's their fabrication practically stopped. The use of ''commercial-off-the-shelf'' (COTS) components became more common but required increased evaluation activities at radiation test sites. Component manufacturers and spaceproject engineers were directed towards these test sites, in particular, towards particle accelerators. Many accelerator laboratories developed special beam lines and constructed dedicated test areas for component evaluations. The space environment was simulated at these test sites and components were tested to levels often exceeding mission requirements. In general, spaceprojects environments were predicted in respects to particle mass and energy distributions with the expected fluxes and fluences. In order to validate this information in tests, concepts like stopping power, linear energy transfer, ion penetration ranges etc. have to be understood. The knowledge from the component structure also defines the way of irradiation. For example, the higher ion energies resulting in much deeper ion penetration ranges allow successful reverse side irradiation of thinned Integrated Circuits (ICs). So overall increased demands for radiation testing attracted the European Space Agency (ESA) to the JYFL-accelerator laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. A contract was signed between ESA and JYFL for the development of a ''High Penetrating Heavy Ion Test Site'' [1]. Following one year development, this test site was commissioned in May 2005. This paper addresses the various issues around the JYFL laboratory with its accelerator and radiation effects facility as the focal point in service of component evaluations for the space community.

We provide a construction procedure for complex root spaces invariant under antilinear transformations, which may be applied to any Coxeter group. The procedure is based on the factorisation of a chosen element of the Coxeter group into two factors. Each of the factors constitutes an involution and may therefore be deformed in an antilinear fashion. Having the importance of the E 8-Coxeter group in mind, such as underlying a particular perturbation of the Ising model and the fact that for it no solution could be found previously, we exemplify the procedure for this particular case. As a concrete application of this construction we propose new generalisations of Calogero-Moser-Sutherland models and affine Toda field theories based on the invariant complex root spaces and deformed complex simple roots, respectively.

The Life Sciences Research Facility dedicated laboratory is currently undergoing system definition within the NASA Space Station program. Attention is presently given to the Humam Research Project portion of the Facility, in view of representative experimentation requirement scenarios and with the intention of accommodating the Facility within the Initial Operational Capability configuration of the Space Station. Such basic engineering questions as orbital and ground logistics operations and hardware maintenance/servicing requirements are addressed. Biospherics, calcium homeostasis, endocrinology, exercise physiology, hematology, immunology, muscle physiology, neurosciences, radiation effects, and reproduction and development, are among the fields of inquiry encompassed by the Facility.

The Life Sciences Research Facility dedicated laboratory is currently undergoing system definition within the NASA Space Station program. Attention is presently given to the Humam Research Project portion of the Facility, in view of representative experimentation requirement scenarios and with the intention of accommodating the Facility within the Initial Operational Capability configuration of the Space Station. Such basic engineering questions as orbital and ground logistics operations and hardware maintenance/servicing requirements are addressed. Biospherics, calcium homeostasis, endocrinology, exercise physiology, hematology, immunology, muscle physiology, neurosciences, radiation effects, and reproduction and development, are among the fields of inquiry encompassed by the Facility.

NASA's Constellation Program is depending on the Ares Projects to deliver the crew and cargo launch capabilities needed to send human explorers to the Moon and beyond. In 2009, the Ares Projects plan to conduct the first test flight of Ares I, Ares I-X; the first firing of a five-segment development solid rocket motor for the Ares I first stage; building the first integrated Ares I upper stage; continue component testing for the J-2X upper stage engine; and perform more-detailed design studies for the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. Ares I and V will provide the core space launch capabilities needed to continue providing crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS), and to build upon the U.S. history of human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond.

NASA's Constellation Program is depending on the Ares Projects to deliver the crew and cargo launch capabilities needed to send human explorers to the Moon and beyond. In 2009, the Ares Projects plan to conduct the first test flight of Ares I, Ares I-X; the first firing of a five-segment development solid rocket motor for the Ares I first stage; building the first integrated Ares I upper stage; continue component testing for the J-2X upper stage engine; and perform more-detailed design studies for the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. Ares I and V will provide the core space launch capabilities needed to continue providing crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS), and to build upon the U.S. history of human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond.

S75-24007 (24 March 1975) --- The Saturn 1B space vehicle for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission, with its launch umbilical tower, rides atop a huge crawler-transporter as it moves slowly away from the Vehicle Assembly Building on its 4.24-mile journey to Pad B, Launch Complex 39, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The ASTP vehicle is composed of a Saturn 1B (first) stage, a Saturn IVB (second) stage, and a payload consisting of a Command/Service Module and a Docking Module. The joint U.S.-USSR ASTP docking mission in Earth orbit is scheduled for July 1975.

The notion of a context (complex of physical conditions, that is to say: specification of the measurement setup) is basic in this paper.We show that the main structures of quantum theory (interference of probabilities, Born's rule, complex probabilistic amplitudes, Hilbert state space, representation of observables by operators) are present already in a latent form in the classical Kolmogorov probability model. However, this model should be considered as a calculus of contextual probabilities. In our approach it is forbidden to consider abstract context independent probabilities: “first context and only then probability”. We construct the representation of the general contextual probabilistic dynamics in the complex Hilbert space. Thus dynamics of the wave function (in particular, Schrödinger's dynamics) can be considered as Hilbert spaceprojections of a realistic dynamics in a “prespace”. The basic condition for representing of the prespace-dynamics is the law of statistical conservation of energy-conservation of probabilities. In general the Hilbert spaceprojection of the “prespace” dynamics can be nonlinear and even irreversible (but it is always unitary). Methods developed in this paper can be applied not only to quantum mechanics, but also to classical statistical mechanics. The main quantum-like structures (e.g., interference of probabilities) might be found in some models of classical statistical mechanics. Quantum-like probabilistic behavior can be demonstrated by biological systems. In particular, it was recently found in some psychological experiments.

Many existing complexspace systems have a significant amount of historical maintenance and problem data bases that are stored in unstructured text forms. For some platforms, these reports may be encoded as scanned images rather than even searchable text. The problem that we address in this paper is the discovery of recurring anomalies and relationships between different problem reports that may indicate larger systemic problems. We will illustrate our techniques on data from discrepancy reports regarding software anomalies in the Space Shuttle. These free text reports are written by a number of different penp!e, thus the emphasis and wording varies considerably.

This report describes the range of activities performed during the annual reporting period in support of the NASA Code O Success Team - Lifecycle Effectiveness for Strategic Success (COST LESS) team. The overall goal of the COST LESS team is to redefine success in a constrained fiscal environment and reduce the cost of success for end-to-end mission operations. This goal is more encompassing than the original proposal made to NASA for reducing complexity of NASA's Space Communications Infrastructure. The COST LESS team approach for reengineering the space operations infrastructure has a focus on reversing the trend of engineering special solutions to similar problems.

The Space Processing Applications Rocket Project (SPAR) X Final Report contains the compilation of the post-flight reports from each of the Principal Investigators (PIs) on the four selected science payloads, in addition to the engineering report as documented by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This combined effort also describes pertinent portions of ground-based research leading to the ultimate selection of the flight sample composition, including design, fabrication and testing, all of which are expected to contribute to an improved comprehension of materials processing in space. The SPAR project was coordinated and managed by MSFC as part of the Microgravity Science and Applications (MSA) program of the Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) of NASA Headquarters. This technical memorandum is directed entirely to the payload manifest flown in the tenth of a series of SPAR flights conducted at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and includes the experiments entitled, Containerless Processing Technology, SPAR Experiment 76-20/3; Directional Solidification of Magnetic Composites, SPAR Experiment 76-22/3; Comparative Alloy Solidification, SPAR Experiment 76-36/3; and Foam Copper, SPAR Experiment 77-9/1R.

The Space Processing Applications Rocket Project (SPAR) X Final Report contains the compilation of the post-flight reports from each of the Principal Investigators (PIs) on the four selected science payloads, in addition to the engineering report as documented by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This combined effort also describes pertinent portions of ground-based research leading to the ultimate selection of the flight sample composition, including design, fabrication and testing, all of which are expected to contribute to an improved comprehension of materials processing in space. The SPAR project was coordinated and managed by MSFC as part of the Microgravity Science and Applications (MSA) program of the Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) of NASA Headquarters. This technical memorandum is directed entirely to the payload manifest flown in the tenth of a series of SPAR flights conducted at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and includes the experiments entitled, Containerless Processing Technology, SPAR Experiment 76-20/3; Directional Solidification of Magnetic Composites, SPAR Experiment 76-22/3; Comparative Alloy Solidification, SPAR Experiment 76-36/3; and Foam Copper, SPAR Experiment 77-9/1R.

WSO-UV (World Space Observatory - Ultraviolet) project is an international space observatory designed for observations in the UV (115 - 320 nm). It includes a 170 cm aperture telescope capable of high-resolution spectroscopy, long slit low-resolution spectroscopy and deep UV and optical imaging. WUVS - the set of three ultraviolet spectrographs are regarded as the main instrument of «Spektr -UF» space mission. The spectrographs unit includes three channels and is intended for acquisition of spectrums of high (R=50000) and low (R=1000) resolution of the observed objects in the electromagnetic radiation's ultraviolet range (115-310 nm). We present the design philosophy of WUVS and summarize its key characteristics. We shall present the main properties of WUVS new structure and current status of its mockups and prototypes manufacturing.

As part of its Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP), NASA has recently demonstrated the Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS). Advanced real-time expert system and human interface technology was successfully developed and integrated with conventional controllers of prototype space hardware to provide intelligent fault detection, isolation, and recovery capability. Many specialized skills were required, and responsibility for the various phases of the project therefore spanned multiple NASA centers, internal departments and contractor organizations. The test environment required communication among many types of hardware and software as well as between many people. The integration, testing, and configuration management tools and methodologies which were applied to the TEXSYS project to assure its safe and successful completion are detailed. The project demonstrated that artificial intelligence technology, including model-based reasoning, is capable of the monitoring and control of a large, complex system in real time.

As part of its Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP), NASA has recently demonstrated the Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS). Advanced real-time expert system and human interface technology was successfully developed and integrated with conventional controllers of prototype space hardware to provide intelligent fault detection, isolation, and recovery capability. Many specialized skills were required, and responsibility for the various phases of the project therefore spanned multiple NASA centers, internal departments and contractor organizations. The test environment required communication among many types of hardware and software as well as between many people. The integration, testing, and configuration management tools and methodologies which were applied to the TEXSYS project to assure its safe and successful completion are detailed. The project demonstrated that artificial intelligence technology, including model-based reasoning, is capable of the monitoring and control of a large, complex system in real time.

With the conclusion of the shuttle program in 2011, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had found itself at a crossroads for finding transportation of United States astronauts and experiments to space. The agency would eventually hand off the taxiing of American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) that orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) about 210 miles above the earth under the requirements of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP). By privatizing the round trip journey from Earth to the ISS, the space agency has been given the additional time to focus funding and resources to projects that operate beyond LEO; however, adding even more stress to the agency, the premature cancellation of the program that would succeed the Shuttle Program - The Constellation Program (CxP) -it would inevitably delay the goal to travel beyond LEO for a number of years. Enter the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). Currently, the SLS is under development at NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, while the Orion Capsule, built by government contractor Lockheed Martin Corporation, has been assembled and is currently under testing at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. In its current vision, SLS will take Orion and its crew to an asteroid that had been captured in an earlier mission in lunar orbit. Additionally, this vehicle and its configuration is NASA's transportation to Mars. Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are currently working to test the ground systems that will facilitate the launch of Orion and the SLS within its Ground Services Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center (LCC) has been refurbished and outfitted to support the SLS Program. In addition, the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the underlying control system for monitoring and launching manned launch vehicles. As NASA finds itself at a junction, so does all of its

Swedish Space Corporation, SSC has a long tradition of developing and launching scientific sounding rockets from Esrange Space Center with the aim to study the different layers of the atmosphere and near space. Now a new era has started with an initiative from the Swedish National Space Board, SNSB. The sounding rocket and atmospheric balloon activities will be vitalised with a national program offering the scientific community yearly rocket launches and balloon flights. The three upcoming sounding rocket missions that have recently started are: O-STATES O STATES (Oxygen transformation in the thermosphere) is a research project at the Meteorological Institute of Stockholm University with Prof. Jörg Gumbel, as responsible researcher. The payload comprises two instrument modules with totally 7 instruments for studying oxygen in its various forms. The payload will be launched twice on two sounding rockets at the same launch campaign, in different atmospheric conditions. This provides a cost-effective mission with a large research exchange. The launches from Esrange Space Center are preliminary scheduled to take place in August 2014 with an apogee of approximately 250 km. SPIDER SPIDER (Small Payloads for Investigation of Disturbances in Electrojet by Rockets) is a research project at Space and Plasma Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm with Nicholay Ivchenko as responsible researcher. The mission includes up to 10 subsidiary payloads ejected from the main payload to measure the structure of the electrostatic turbulence in the ionosphere. The measurements take place entirely in the subsidiary payloads, which are completely autonomous and recovered individually after the flight. The launch from Esrange Space Center is preliminary scheduled to take place in March 2015 with a desired apogee of approximately 140 km. LEEWAVES LEEWAVES (Local Excitation and Effects of Waves on Atmospheric Vertical Structure) is a research project at the Meteorological

A new reweighted proportionate affine projection algorithm (RPAPA) with memory and row action projection (MRAP) is proposed in this paper. The reweighted PAPA is derived from a family of sparseness measures, which demonstrate performance similar to mu-law and the l 0 norm PAPA but with lower computational complexity. The sparseness of the channel is taken into account to improve the performance for dispersive system identification. Meanwhile, the memory of the filter's coefficients is combined with row action projections (RAP) to significantly reduce computational complexity. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed RPAPA MRAP algorithm outperforms both the affine projection algorithm (APA) and PAPA, and has performance similar to l 0 PAPA and mu-law PAPA, in terms of convergence speed and tracking ability. Meanwhile, the proposed RPAPA MRAP has much lower computational complexity than PAPA, mu-law PAPA, and l 0 PAPA, etc., which makes it very appealing for real-time implementation.

It is very difficult for project managers to develop accurate cost and schedule estimates for large, complex software development projects. None of the approaches or tools available today can estimate the true cost of software with any high degree of accuracy early in a project. This paper provides an approach that utilizes a software development process simulation model that considers and conveys the level of uncertainty that exists when developing an initial estimate. A NASA project will be analyzed using simulation and data from the Software Engineering Laboratory to show the benefits of such an approach.

A projective geometry is an equivalence class of torsion free connections sharing the same unparametrised geodesics; this is a basic structure for understanding physical systems. Metric projective geometry is concerned with the interaction of projective and pseudo-Riemannian geometry. We show that the BGG machinery of projective geometry combines with structures known as Yang-Mills detour complexes to produce a general tool for generating invariant pseudo-Riemannian gauge theories. This produces (detour) complexes of differential operators corresponding to gauge invariances and dynamics. We show, as an application, that curved versions of these sequences give geometric characterizations of the obstructions to propagation of higher spins in Einstein spaces. Further, we show that projective BGG detour complexes generate both gauge invariances and gauge invariant constraint systems for partially massless models: the input for this machinery is a projectively invariant gauge operator corresponding to the first operator of a certain BGG sequence. We also connect this technology to the log-radial reduction method and extend the latter to Einstein backgrounds.

The increasing density of electrical and electronic circuits in Deep Space Station systems for computation, control, and numerous related functions has combined with the extension of system performance requirements calling for higher speed circuitry along with broader bandwidths. This has progressively increased the number of potential sources of radio frequency interference inside the stations. Also, the extension of spectrum usage both in power and frequency as well as the greater density of usage at all frequencies for national and international satellite communications, space research, Earth resource operations and defense, and particularly the huge expansion of airborne electronic warfare and electronic countermeasures operations in the Mojave area have greatly increased the potential number and severity of radio frequency interference incidents. The various facets of this problem and the efforts to eliminate or minimize the impact of interference on Deep Space Network support of deep space flight projects are described.

The existence of gravitational waves is the most prominent of Einstein's predictions that has not yet been directly verified. The spaceprojects LISA and (partially) ASTROD share their goal and principle of operation with the ground-based interferometers currently under construction: the detection and measurement of gravitational waves by laser interferometry. Ground and space detection differ in their frequency ranges, and thus the detectable sources. Towards low frequencies, ground-based detection is limited by seismic noise, and yet more fundamentally by `gravity gradient noise', thus covering the range from a few Hz to a few kHz. On five sites worldwide, detectors of armlengths from 0.3 to 4 km are nearing completion. they will progressively be put in operation in the years 2002 and 2003. Future enhanced versions are being planned, with scientific data not expected until 2008, i.e. near the launch of the spaceproject LISA. It is only in space that detection of signals below, say, 1 Hz is possible, opening a wide window to a different class of interesting sources of gravitational waves. The project LISA consists of three spacecraft in heliocentric orbits, forming a triangle of 5 million km sides. A technology demonstrator, designed to test vital LISA technologies, is to be launched, aboard a SMART-2 mission, in 2006. The proposed mission ASTROD will, among other goals, also aim at detecting gravitational waves, at even lower frequencies than LISA. Its later start will allow it to benefit from the expertise gained with LISA.

The Hubble Space Telescope's Early Release Observations (EROs) were revealed to the public on September 9, 2009, and K-12 students and educators in six states across the country are joining in the celebration. Students and educators in Maryland, Ohio, New York, California, New Mexico, and Delaware have been invited to participate in the Hubble Space Telescope's Student ERO Pilot Project. This is an interdisciplinary project created by STScI's Office of Public Outreach in which students research the four ERO objects and create various types of projects. In recognition of their participation, the projects are displayed at host institutions in each state (museum, science center, school, planetarium or library) during a special public event for participating students, their families, and teachers. As part of its evaluation program, STScI's Office of Public Outreach has been conducting an evaluation of the project to determine the viability and potential of conducting large-scale, formal/informal collaborative projects in the future. This poster will highlight preliminary findings and share lessons learned.

There has been some recent interest in the relation between two spacetimes which have the same geodesic paths, that is, spacetimes which are projectively equivalent (sometimes called geodesically equivalent). This paper presents a short and accessible proof of the theorem that if two spacetimes have the same geodesic paths and one of them is an Einstein space then (either each is of constant curvature or) their Lévi-Civitá connections are identical. It also clarifies the relationship between their associated metrics. The results are extended to include the signatures (+ + + +) and (- - + +), and some examples and discussion are given in the case of dimension n > 4. Some remarks are also made which show how these results may be useful in the study of projective symmetry.

The World Space Observatory project model was first introduced in the 5th UN/ESA workshop. Over time, the original concept has been further developed to evaluate how such project could become a reality. An assessment study has been made of the WSO-Ultraviolet (WSO/UV) as this was considered the best implementation model since the world -wide need for such project in the astrophysics community clearly exists. Also in the developing world considerable expertise exists through the wide distribution of the ultraviolet spectroscopic archive INES from ESA. Therefore WSO/UV presents the best chance of success for the next stage in the accelerated BSS evolution needed for sustainable development in the pre -industrial countries. The WSO/UV Implementation Committee (WIC), composed of scientists from some 14 countries, is the leading organization in this project. We will here describe the implementation model for WSO/UV and highlight the scientific importance as well as the plans for the future.

The prephase A conceptual project planning data as it pertains to the development of the selected logistics module configuration transported into earth orbit by the space shuttle orbiter. The data represents the test, implementation, and supporting research and technology requirements for attaining the propellant transfer operational capability for early 1985. The plan is based on a propellant module designed to support the space-based tug with cryogenic oxygen-hydrogen propellants. A logical sequence of activities that is required to define, design, develop, fabricate, test, launch, and flight test the propellant logistics module is described. Included are the facility and ground support equipment requirements. The schedule of activities are based on the evolution and relationship between the R and T, the development issues, and the resultant test program.

We present project updates of the next-generation infrared space mission SPICA (Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics) as of November 2015. SPICA is optimized for mid- and far-infrared astronomy with unprecedented sensitivity, which will be achieved with a cryogenically cooled (below 8 K), large (2.5~m) telescope. SPICA is expected to address a number of key questions in various fields of astrophysics, ranging from studies of the star-formation history in the universe to the formation and evolution of planetary systems. The international collaboration framework of SPICA has been revisited. SPICA under the new framework passed the Mission Definition Review by JAXA in 2015. A proposal under the new framework to ESA is being prepared. The target launch year in the new framework is 2027/28.

Through Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Education Department, over 400 MSFC employees have volunteered to support educational program during regular work hours. Project LASER (Learning About Science, Engineering, and Research) provides support for mentor/tutor requests, education tours, classroom presentations, and curriculum development. This program is available to teachers and students living within commuting distance of the NASA/MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama (approximately 50-miles radius). This image depicts students viewing their reflections in an x-ray mirror with Marshall optic engineer Vince Huegele at the Discovery Laboratory, which is an onsite MSFC laboratory facility that provides hands-on educational workshop sessions for teachers and students learning activities.

Through Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Education Department, over 400 MSFC employees have volunteered to support educational program during regular work hours. Project LASER (Learning About Science, Engineering, and Research) provides support for mentor/tutor requests, education tours, classroom presentations, and curriculum development. This program is available to teachers and students living within commuting distance of the NASA/MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama (approximately 50-miles radius). This image depicts students viewing their reflections in an x-ray mirror with Marshall optic engineer Vince Huegele at the Discovery Laboratory, which is an onsite MSFC laboratory facility that provides hands-on educational workshop sessions for teachers and students learning activities.

In this work, a generalized form of the BGK-Boltzmann equation is proposed, where the velocity, position, and time can be represented by real or complex variables. The real representation leads to the conventional BGK-Boltzmann equation, which can recover the continuity and Navier-Stokes equations. We show that the complex representation yields a different set of equations, and it can also recover the conservation and Navier-Stokes equations, at low Mach numbers, provided that the imaginary component of the macroscopic mass can be neglected. We briefly review the Constant Speed Kinetic Model (CSKM), which was introduced in Zadehgol and Ashrafizaadeh [J. Comp. Phys. 274, 803 (2014), 10.1016/j.jcp.2014.06.053] and Zadehgol [Phys. Rev. E 91, 063311 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevE.91.063311]. The CSKM is then used as a basis to show that the complex-valued equilibrium distribution function of the present model can be identified with a simple singularity in the complex phase space. The virtual particles, in the present work, are concentrated on virtual "branes" which surround the computational nodes. Employing the Cauchy integral formula, it is shown that certain variations of the "branes," in the complex phase space, do not affect the local kinetic states. This property of the new model, which is referred to as the "apparent jumps" in the present work, is used to construct new models. The theoretical findings have been tested by simulating three benchmark flows. The results of the present simulations are in excellent agreement with the previous results reported by others.

In this work, a generalized form of the BGK-Boltzmann equation is proposed, where the velocity, position, and time can be represented by real or complex variables. The real representation leads to the conventional BGK-Boltzmann equation, which can recover the continuity and Navier-Stokes equations. We show that the complex representation yields a different set of equations, and it can also recover the conservation and Navier-Stokes equations, at low Mach numbers, provided that the imaginary component of the macroscopic mass can be neglected. We briefly review the Constant Speed Kinetic Model (CSKM), which was introduced in Zadehgol and Ashrafizaadeh [J. Comp. Phys. 274, 803 (2014)JCTPAH0021-999110.1016/j.jcp.2014.06.053] and Zadehgol [Phys. Rev. E 91, 063311 (2015)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.91.063311]. The CSKM is then used as a basis to show that the complex-valued equilibrium distribution function of the present model can be identified with a simple singularity in the complex phase space. The virtual particles, in the present work, are concentrated on virtual "branes" which surround the computational nodes. Employing the Cauchy integral formula, it is shown that certain variations of the "branes," in the complex phase space, do not affect the local kinetic states. This property of the new model, which is referred to as the "apparent jumps" in the present work, is used to construct new models. The theoretical findings have been tested by simulating three benchmark flows. The results of the present simulations are in excellent agreement with the previous results reported by others.

The goal of the Information Presentation Directed Research Project (DRP) is to address design questions related to the presentation of information to the crew. The major areas of work, or subtasks, within this DRP are: 1) Displays, 2) Controls, 3) Electronic Procedures and Fault Management, and 4) Human Performance Modeling. This DRP is a collaborative effort between researchers atJohnson Space Center and Ames Research Center. T

The problem of electronic component unification at the different levels (circuits, interfaces, hardware and software) used in space industry is considered. The task of computer systems for space purposes developing is discussed by example of scientific data acquisition system for spaceproject GAMMA-400. The basic characteristics of high reliable and fault tolerant chips developed by SRISA RAS for space applicable computational systems are given. To reduce power consumption and enhance data reliability, embedded system interconnect made hierarchical: upper level is Serial RapidIO 1x or 4x with rate transfer 1.25 Gbaud; next level - SpaceWire with rate transfer up to 400 Mbaud and lower level - MIL-STD-1553B and RS232/RS485. The Ethernet 10/100 is technology interface and provided connection with the previously released modules too. Systems interconnection allows creating different redundancy systems. Designers can develop heterogeneous systems that employ the peer-to-peer networking performance of Serial RapidIO using multiprocessor clusters interconnected by SpaceWire.

The mid- and high-level visual properties supporting object perception in the ventral visual pathway are poorly understood. In the absence of well-specified theory, many groups have adopted a data-driven approach in which they progressively interrogate neural units to establish each unit's selectivity. Such methods are challenging in that they require search through a wide space of feature models and stimuli using a limited number of samples. To more rapidly identify higher-level features underlying human cortical object perception, we implemented a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging method in which visual stimuli are selected in real-time based on BOLD responses to recently shown stimuli. This work was inspired by earlier primate physiology work, in which neural selectivity for mid-level features in IT was characterized using a simple parametric approach (Hung et al., 2012). To extend such work to human neuroimaging, we used natural and synthetic object stimuli embedded in feature spaces constructed on the basis of the complex visual properties of the objects themselves. During fMRI scanning, we employed a real-time search method to control continuous stimulus selection within each image space. This search was designed to maximize neural responses across a pre-determined 1 cm3 brain region within ventral cortex. To assess the value of this method for understanding object encoding, we examined both the behavior of the method itself and the complex visual properties the method identified as reliably activating selected brain regions. We observed: (1) Regions selective for both holistic and component object features and for a variety of surface properties; (2) Object stimulus pairs near one another in feature space that produce responses at the opposite extremes of the measured activity range. Together, these results suggest that real-time fMRI methods may yield more widely informative measures of selectivity within the broad classes of visual features

The mid- and high-level visual properties supporting object perception in the ventral visual pathway are poorly understood. In the absence of well-specified theory, many groups have adopted a data-driven approach in which they progressively interrogate neural units to establish each unit's selectivity. Such methods are challenging in that they require search through a wide space of feature models and stimuli using a limited number of samples. To more rapidly identify higher-level features underlying human cortical object perception, we implemented a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging method in which visual stimuli are selected in real-time based on BOLD responses to recently shown stimuli. This work was inspired by earlier primate physiology work, in which neural selectivity for mid-level features in IT was characterized using a simple parametric approach (Hung et al., 2012). To extend such work to human neuroimaging, we used natural and synthetic object stimuli embedded in feature spaces constructed on the basis of the complex visual properties of the objects themselves. During fMRI scanning, we employed a real-time search method to control continuous stimulus selection within each image space. This search was designed to maximize neural responses across a pre-determined 1 cm(3) brain region within ventral cortex. To assess the value of this method for understanding object encoding, we examined both the behavior of the method itself and the complex visual properties the method identified as reliably activating selected brain regions. We observed: (1) Regions selective for both holistic and component object features and for a variety of surface properties; (2) Object stimulus pairs near one another in feature space that produce responses at the opposite extremes of the measured activity range. Together, these results suggest that real-time fMRI methods may yield more widely informative measures of selectivity within the broad classes of visual features

Weighted rating networks are commonly used by e-commerce providers nowadays. In order to generate an objective ranking of online items' quality according to users' ratings, many sophisticated algorithms have been proposed in the complex networks domain. In this paper, instead of proposing new algorithms we focus on a more fundamental problem: the nonlinear rating projection. The basic idea is that even though the rating values given by users are linearly separated, the real preference of users to items between the different given values is nonlinear. We thus design an approach to project the original ratings of users to more representative values. This approach can be regarded as a data pretreatment method. Simulation in both artificial and real networks shows that the performance of the ranking algorithms can be improved when the projected ratings are used.

The project management of complex instruments for ground-based large telescopes is a challenge itself. A good management is a clue for project success in terms of performance, schedule and budget. Being on time has become a strict requirement for two reasons: to assure the arrival at the telescope due to the pressure on demanding new instrumentation for this first world-class telescopes and to not fall in over-costs. The budget and cash-flow is not always the expected one and has to be properly handled from different administrative departments at the funding centers worldwide distributed. The complexity of the organizations, the technological and scientific return to the Consortium partners and the participation in the project of all kind of professional centers working in astronomical instrumentation: universities, research centers, small and large private companies, workshops and providers, etc. make the project management strategy, and the tools and procedures tuned to the project needs, crucial for success. MEGARA (Multi-Espectrógrafo en GTC de Alta Resolución para Astronomía) is a facility instrument of the 10.4m GTC (La Palma, Spain) working at optical wavelengths that provides both Integral-Field Unit (IFU) and Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) capabilities at resolutions in the range R=6,000-20,000. The project is an initiative led by Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) in collaboration with INAOE (Mexico), IAA-CSIC (Spain) and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain). MEGARA is being developed under contract with GRANTECAN.

Recent observational and experimental evidence for the presence of complex organics in space is reviewed. Remote astronomical observations have detected ˜ 200 gas-phased molecules through their rotational and vibrational transitions. Many classes of organic molecules are represented in this list, including some precursors to biological molecules. A number of unidentified spectral phenomena observed in the interstellar medium are likely to have originated from complex organics. The observations of these features in distant galaxies suggests that organic synthesis had already taken place during the early epochs of the Universe. In the Solar System, almost all biologically relevant molecules can be found in the soluble component of carbonaceous meteorites. Complex organics of mixed aromatic and aliphatic structures are present in the insoluble component of meteorites. Hydrocarbons cover much of the surface of the planetary satellite Titan and complex organics are found in comets and interplanetary dust particles. The possibility that the early Solar System, or even the early Earth, have been enriched by interstellar organics is discussed.

The Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP), which is the combined efforts of the Centrifuge Facility (CF) and the Gravitational Biology Facility (GBF), is responsible for the development of life sciences hardware to be used on the International Space Station to support cell, developmental, and plant biology research. The SSBRP Reference Experiment Book was developed to use as a tool for guiding this development effort. The reference experiments characterize the research interests of the international scientific community and serve to identify the hardware capabilities and support equipment needed to support such research. The reference experiments also serve as a tool for understanding the operational aspects of conducting research on board the Space Station. This material was generated by the science community by way of their responses to reference experiment solicitation packages sent to them by SSBRP scientists. The solicitation process was executed in two phases. The first phase was completed in February of 1992 and the second phase completed in November of 1995. Representing these phases, the document is subdivided into a Section 1 and a Section 2. The reference experiments contained in this document are only representative microgravity experiments. They are not intended to define actual flight experiments. Ground and flight experiments will be selected through the formal NASA Research Announcement (NRA) and Announcement of Opportunity (AO) experiment solicitation, review, and selection process.

Modern scientific and technological projects are increasingly in competition over scientific aims, technological innovation, performance, time and cost. They require a dedicated and innovative organization able to satisfy contemporarily various technical and logistic constraints imposed by the final user, and guarantee the satisfaction of technical specifications, identified on the basis of scientific aims. In order to satisfy all the above, the management has to be strategically innovative and intuitive, by removing, first of all, the bottlenecks that are pointed out, usually only at the end of the projects, as the causes of general dissatisfaction. More than 30 years spent working on complex multidisciplinary systems and 20 years of formative experience in managing contemporarily both scientific, technological and industrial projects have given the author the possibility to study, test and validate strategies for parallel project management and integrated design, merged in a sort of unique optimized task, using the newly-coined word "Technomethodology". The paper highlights useful information to be taken into consideration during project organization to minimize the program deviations from the expected goals and describe some of the basic meanings of this new advanced method that is the key for parallel successful management of multiple and interdisciplinary activities.

Although fitting a garment is often considered more of an art than a science, experts suggest that a subjectively poor fit is a symptom of inappropriate ease, the space between the wearer and the garment. The condition of poor suit fit is a unique problem for the space program and it can be attributed primarily to: a) NASA s policy to accommodate a wide variety of people (males and females from 1st to 99th percentile range and with various shapes and sizes) and b) its requirement to deploy a minimum number of suit sizes for logistical reasons. These factors make the space suit fit difficult to assess, where a wide range of people must be fit by the minimum possible number of suits, and yet, fit is crucial for operability and safety. Existing simplistic sizing scheme do not account for wide variations in shape within a diverse population with very limited sizing options. The complex issue of fit has been addressed by a variety of methods, many of which have been developed by the military, which has always had a keen interest in fitting its diverse population but with a multitude of sizing options. The space program has significantly less sizing options, so a combination of these advanced methods should be used to optimize space suit size and assess space suit fit. Multivariate methods can be used to develop sizing schemes that better reflect the wearer population, and integrated sizing systems can form a compromise between fitting men and women. Range of motion and operability testing can be combined with subjective feedback to provide a comprehensive evaluation of fit. The amount of ease can be tailored using these methods, to provide enough extra room where it is needed, without compromising mobility and comfort. This paper discusses the problem of fit in one of its most challenging applications: providing a safe and comfortable spacesuit that will protect its wearer from the extreme environment of space. It will discuss the challenges and necessity of closely

Although fitting a garment is often considered more of an art than a science, experts suggest that a subjectively poor fit is a symptom of inappropriate ease, the space between the wearer and the garment. The condition of poor suit fit is a unique problem for the space program and it can be attributed primarily to: a) NASA s policy to accommodate a wide variety of people (males and females from 1st to 99th percentile range and with various shapes and sizes) and b) its requirement to deploy a minimum number of suit sizes for logistical reasons. These factors make the space suit fit difficult to assess, where a wide range of people must be fit by the minimum possible number of suits, and yet, fit is crucial for operability and safety. Existing simplistic sizing scheme do not account for wide variations in shape within a diverse population with very limited sizing options. The complex issue of fit has been addressed by a variety of methods, many of which have been developed by the military, which has always had a keen interest in fitting its diverse population but with a multitude of sizing options. The space program has significantly less sizing options, so a combination of these advanced methods should be used to optimize space suit size and assess space suit fit. Multivariate methods can be used to develop sizing schemes that better reflect the wearer population, and integrated sizing systems can form a compromise between fitting men and women. Range of motion and operability testing can be combined with subjective feedback to provide a comprehensive evaluation of fit. The amount of ease can be tailored using these methods, to provide enough extra room where it is needed, without compromising mobility and comfort. This paper discusses the problem of fit in one of its most challenging applications: providing a safe and comfortable spacesuit that will protect its wearer from the extreme environment of space. It will discuss the challenges and necessity of closely

Future United States' space facilities include a Space Station in low Earth orbit (LEO) and a Geosynchronous Operations Support Center, or GeoShack, in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). One possible mode of transfer between the two orbits is an aerobraking vehicle. When traveling from GEO to LEO, the Earth's atmosphere can be used to aerodynamically reduce the velocity of the vehicle, which reduces the amount of propulsive change in velocity required for the mission. An aerobrake is added to the vehicle for this purpose, but the additional mass increases propellant requirements. This increase must not exceed the amount of propellant saved during the aeropass. The design and development of an aerobraking vehicle that will transfer crew and cargo between the Space Station and GeoShack is examined. The vehicle is referred to as Project SPARC, a SPace-based Aeroassisted Reusable Craft. SPARC consists of a removable 45 ft diameter aerobrake, two modified Pratt and Whitney Advanced Expander Engines with a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen propellant, a removable crew module with a maximum capacity of five, and standard sized payload bays providing a maximum payload capacity of 28,000 lbm. The aerobrake, a rigid, ellipsoidally blunted elliptical cone, provides lift at zero angle-of-attack due to a 73 deg rake angle, and is covered with a flexible multi-layer thermal protection system. Maximum dry mass of the vehicle without payload is 20,535 lbm, and the maximum propellant requirement is 79,753 lbm at an oxidizer to fuel ratio of 6/1. Key advantages of SPARC include its capability to meet mission changes, and its removable aerobrake and crew module.

Media gather at the KSC Visitor Complex for the kickoff of the Discovery Channel's Liberty Bell 7 Space Capsule Exhibit, which will open to the public on Saturday, June 17. At the podium is Mike Quattrone, executive vice president and general manager, Discovery Channel. Standing to the left of the podium is Rick Abramson, president and chief operating officer of Delaware North Parks Services of Spaceport, Inc., and far left, Jim Jennings, deputy director of Kennedy Space Center. Liberty Bell 7 launched U.S. Air Force Captain Virgil '''Gus''' Grissom July 21, 1961 on a mission that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds before sinking to the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, three miles deep. It lay undetected for nearly four decades before a Discovery Channel expedition located it and recovered it. The space capsule is now restored and preserved, and part of an interactive exhibit touring science centers and museums in 12 cities throughout the United States until 2003. The exhibit includes hands-on elements such as a capsule simulator, a centrifuge, and ROV pilot.

Media gather at the KSC Visitor Complex for the kickoff of the Discovery Channel's Liberty Bell 7 Space Capsule Exhibit, which will open to the public on Saturday, June 17. At the podium is Mike Quattrone, executive vice president and general manager, Discovery Channel. Standing to the left of the podium is Rick Abramson, president and chief operating officer of Delaware North Parks Services of Spaceport, Inc., and far left, Jim Jennings, deputy director of Kennedy Space Center. Liberty Bell 7 launched U.S. Air Force Captain Virgil '''Gus''' Grissom July 21, 1961 on a mission that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds before sinking to the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, three miles deep. It lay undetected for nearly four decades before a Discovery Channel expedition located it and recovered it. The space capsule is now restored and preserved, and part of an interactive exhibit touring science centers and museums in 12 cities throughout the United States until 2003. The exhibit includes hands-on elements such as a capsule simulator, a centrifuge, and ROV pilot.

The article presents a review of scientific problems and methods of ultraviolet astronomy, focusing on perspective scientific problems (directions) whose solution requires UV space observatories. These include reionization and the history of star formation in the Universe, searches for dark baryonic matter, physical and chemical processes in the interstellar medium and protoplanetary disks, the physics of accretion and outflows in astrophysical objects, from Active Galactic Nuclei to close binary stars, stellar activity (for both low-mass and high-mass stars), and processes occurring in the atmospheres of both planets in the solar system and exoplanets. Technological progress in UV astronomy achieved in recent years is also considered. The well advanced, international, Russian-led Spektr-UV (World Space Observatory—Ultraviolet) project is described in more detail. This project is directed at creating a major space observatory operational in the ultraviolet (115-310 nm). This observatory will provide an effective, and possibly the only, powerful means of observing in this spectral range over the next ten years, and will be an powerful tool for resolving many topical scientific problems.

Risk identification during the early design phases of complex systems is commonly implemented but often fails to result in the identification of events and circumstances that truly challenge project performance. Inefficiencies in cost and schedule estimation are usually held accountable for cost and schedule overruns, but the true root cause is often the realization of programmatic risks. A deeper understanding of frequent risk identification trends and biases pervasive during space system design and development is needed, for it would lead to improved execution of existing identification processes and methods.

This qualitative analysis examined teachers' experiences of the Africa Yoga Project (AYP), a mentoring-oriented yoga program for fostering resilience among individuals and groups impacted by poverty and trauma. Interviews conducted with AYP teachers were coded using qualitative content analysis. Themes demonstrated that AYP benefited participants by creating S.P.A.C.E. (Safety and stability, Personal growth, Action, Cultural diversity, and Empowerment). The findings illustrated ways in which this program fostered individual and community wellness and positive engagement. Implications are discussed including the potential for providing yoga as a low-cost, sustainable, and effective intervention to promote health, economic self-sufficiency, and community engagement in diverse settings with limited resources.

The quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the action function is approximately solved by propagating individual Lagrangian quantum trajectories in complex-valued phase space. Equations of motion for these trajectories are derived through use of the derivative propagation method (DPM), which leads to a hierarchy of coupled differential equations for the action function and its spatial derivatives along each trajectory. In this study, complex-valued classical trajectories (second order DPM), along which is transported quantum phase information, are used to study low energy barrier transmission for a model two-dimensional system involving either an Eckart or Gaussian barrier along the reaction coordinate coupled to a harmonic oscillator. The arrival time for trajectories to reach the transmitted (product) region is studied. Trajectories launched from an "equal arrival time surface," defined as an isochrone, all reach the real-valued subspace in the transmitted region at the same time. The Rutherford-type diffraction of trajectories around poles in the complex extended Eckart potential energy surface is described. For thin barriers, these poles are close to the real axis and present problems for computing the transmitted density. In contrast, for the Gaussian barrier or the thick Eckart barrier where the poles are further from the real axis, smooth transmitted densities are obtained. Results obtained using higher-order quantum trajectories (third order DPM) are described for both thick and thin barriers, and some issues that arise for thin barriers are examined.

Virtual reality (VR) environments are increasingly used to study spatial navigation in rodents. So far behavioral paradigms in virtual realities have been limited to linear tracks or open fields. However, little is known whether rodents can learn to navigate in more complex virtual spaces. We used a VR setup with a spherical treadmill but no head-fixation, which permits animals not only to move in a virtual environment but also to freely rotate around their vertical body axis. We trained Mongolian gerbils to perform spatial tasks in virtual mazes of different complexity. Initially the animals learned to run back and forth between the two ends of a virtual linear track for food reward. Performance, measured as path length and running time between the virtual reward locations, improved to asymptotic performance within about five training sessions. When more complex mazes were presented after this training epoch, the animals generalized and explored the new environments already at their first exposure. In a final experiment, the animals also learned to perform a two-alternative forced choice task in a virtual Y-maze. Our data thus shows that gerbils can be trained to solve spatial tasks in virtual mazes and that this behavior can be used as a readout for psychophysical measurements.

The Mars Microprobe Project, or Deep Space 2 (DS2), is the second of the New Millennium Program planetary missions and is designed to enable future space science network missions through flight validation of new technologies. A secondary goal is the collection of meaningful science data. Two micropenetrators will be deployed to carry out surface and subsurface science. The penetrators are being carried as a piggyback payload on the Mars Polar Lander cruise ring and will be launched in January 1999. The microprobe has no active control, attitude determination, or propulsive systems. It is a single stage from separation until landing and will passively orient itself due to its aerodynamic design. The aeroshell will be made of a nonerosive heat shield material, Silicon impregnated Reusable Ceramic Ablator(SIRCA), developed at Ames Research Center. The aeroshell shatters on impact, at which time the probe separates into an aftbody that remains at the surface and a forebody that penetrates into the subsurface. Each probe has a total mass of up to 3 kg, including the aeroshell. The impact velocity will be about 180 meters per second. The forebody will experience up to 30,000 g's and penetrate between 0.3 and 2 meters, depending on the ice content of the soil. The aftbody deceleration will be up to 80,000 g. The penetrators arrive in December 1999. The landing ellipse latitude range is 73 deg-77 deg S. The longitude will be selected by the Mars Surveyor Project to place the lander on the polar layered deposits in the range of 180 deg -230 deg W. The two micropenetrators are likely to land within 100 km of the Mars Surveyor Lander, on the polar deposits. The likely arrival date is L(sub s) = 256, late southern spring. The nominal mission lasts 2 days. A science team was selected in April 1998.

Contributions were made to several projects. Howard Nguyen was assisted in developing the Space Station RPS (Rack Power Supply). The RPS is a computer controlled power supply that helps test equipment used for experiments before the equipment is installed on Space Station Freedom. Ron Bennett of General Electric Government Services was assisted in the design and analysis of the Standard Interface Rack Controller hardware and software. An analysis was made of the GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus), looking for any potential problems while transmitting data across the bus, such as the interaction of the bus controller with a data talker and its listeners. An analysis was made of GPIB bus communications in general, including any negative impact the bus may have on transmitting data back to Earth. A study was made of transmitting digital data back to Earth over a video channel. A report was written about the study and a revised version of the report will be submitted for publication. Work was started on the design of a PC/AT compatible circuit board that will combine digital data with a video signal. Another PC/AT compatible circuit board is being designed to recover the digital data from the video signal. A proposal was submitted to support the continued development of the interface boards after the author returns to Memphis State University in the fall. A study was also made of storing circuit board design software and data on the hard disk server of a LAN (Local Area Network) that connects several IBM style PCs. A report was written that makes several recommendations. A preliminary design review was started of the AIVS (Automatic Interface Verification System). The summer was over before any significant contribution could be made to this project.

The Mars Microprobe Project, or Deep Space 2 (DS2), is the second of the New Millennium Program planetary missions and is designed to enable future space science network missions through flight validation of new technologies. A secondary goal is the collection of meaningful science data. Two micropenetrators will be deployed to carry out surface and subsurface science. The penetrators are being carried as a piggyback payload on the Mars Polar Lander cruise ring and will be launched in January 1999. The microprobe has no active control, attitude determination, or propulsive systems. It is a single stage from separation until landing and will passively orient itself due to its aerodynamic design. The aeroshell will be made of a nonerosive heat shield material, Silicon impregnated Reusable Ceramic Ablator(SIRCA), developed at Ames Research Center. The aeroshell shatters on impact, at which time the probe separates into an aftbody that remains at the surface and a forebody that penetrates into the subsurface. Each probe has a total mass of up to 3 kg, including the aeroshell. The impact velocity will be about 180 meters per second. The forebody will experience up to 30,000 g's and penetrate between 0.3 and 2 meters, depending on the ice content of the soil. The aftbody deceleration will be up to 80,000 g. The penetrators arrive in December 1999. The landing ellipse latitude range is 73 deg-77 deg S. The longitude will be selected by the Mars Surveyor Project to place the lander on the polar layered deposits in the range of 180 deg -230 deg W. The two micropenetrators are likely to land within 100 km of the Mars Surveyor Lander, on the polar deposits. The likely arrival date is Ls = 256, late southern spring. The nominal mission lasts 2 days. A science team was selected in April 1998.

The four systems of the modular space station project are described, and the interfaces between this project and the shuttle project, the tracking and data relay satellite project, and an arbitrarily defined experiment project are defined. The experiment project was synthesized from internal experiments, detached research and application modules, and attached research and application modules to derive a set of interface requirements which will support multiple combinations of these elements expected during the modular space station mission. The modular space station project element defines a 6-man orbital program capable of growth to a 12-man orbital program capability. The modular space station project element specification defines the modular space station system, the premission operations support system, the mission operations support system, and the cargo module system and their interfaces.

Standardized modules are considered, such as the main propulsion system, space platform, and reusable spacecraft, that were developed within the scope of the Phobos-Grunt project. It is proposed that long-term interplanetary stations for fundamental space research should be created based on these modules. A description is given of the alleged scientific spaceprojects for the medium term.

The Altcriss project aims to perform a long term survey of the radiation environment on board the International Space Station. Measurements are being performed with active and passive devices in different locations and orientations of the Russian segment of the station. The goal is perform a detailed evaluation of the differences in particle fluence and nuclear composition due to different shielding material and attitude of the station. The Sileye-3/Alteino detector is used to identify nuclei up to Iron in the energy range above approximately equal to 60 MeV/n; a number of passive dosimeters (TLDs, CR39) are also placed in the same location of Sileye-3 detector. Polyethylene shielding is periodically interposed in front of the detectors to evaluate the effectiveness of shielding on the nuclear component of the cosmic radiation. The project was submitted to ESA in reply to the AO the Life and Physical Science of 2004 and was begun in December 2005. Dosimeters and data cards are rotated every six months: up to now three launches of dosimeters and data cards have been performed and have been returned with the end expedition 12 and 13.

The Altcriss project aims perform long term measurement of the radiation environment in different points of the International Space Station. To achieve this goal, it employs an active silicon detector, Sileye-3/Alteino, to monitor nuclei up to Iron in the energy range above 40 MeV/n. Both long term modulation of galactic cosmic rays going toward solar minimum and solar particles events will be observed. A number of different dosimeters are being employed to measure the dose and compare it with the silicon detector data. Another aim of the project is to monitor the effectiveness of shielding materials in orbit: a set of polyethylene tiles is placed in the detector acceptance window and particle flux and composition is compared with measurements in the same locations without shielding. Dosimeters are thus placed behind the shielding material and in an unshielded location to cross-correlate this information. The observation campaign begun in December 2005 and is running continuously ever since. Active and passive data have been retreived at the end of expedition 13, 14 and Astrolab mission. In this work we will describe the experiment and the preliminary results.

The principal goal of the Altcriss project is to perform long term measurement of the radiation environment at different points inside the International Space Station To achieve this goal it employs an active silicon detector Sileye-3 Alteino to monitor nuclei up to Iron in the energy range above 40 MeV n Both long term modulation of galactic cosmic rays going toward solar minimum and solar particles events will be observed A number of different dosimeters are being employed to measure the dose and compare it with the silicon detector data Another aim of the project is to monitor the effectiveness of shielding materials in orbit a set of polyethylene tiles is placed in the detector acceptance window and particle flux and composition are compared with measurements in the same locations without shielding Dosimeters are thus placed behind the shielding material and in an unshielded location to cross-correlate this information The observation campaign began in December 2005 and is expected to run for three years Sample data taken in the PIRS and Service module received to date show the correct functioning of the apparatus In this work we will describe the program of operations and the first results

Advanced Spectral Library (ASTRAL) is a Hubble Large Treasury Project, whose aim is to collect high-quality ultraviolet (1150-3100 Å) spectra of bright stars, utilizing the echelle modes of powerful Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph; with resolution and signal-to-noise rivaling the best that can be achieved at ground-based observatories in the visible. During HST Cycle 18 (2010-2011), ASTRAL was allocated 146 orbits to record eight representative late-type ("cool") stars, including well-known cosmic denizens like Procyon and Betelgeuse. In Cycle 21 (2013-2014), ASTRAL was awarded an additional 230 orbits to extend the project to the hot side of the H-R diagram: 21 targets covering the O-A spectral types, including household favorites Vega and Sirius. The second part of the program was completed in January 2015. I describe the scientific motivations for observing hot and cool stars in the UV; the unique instrumental characteristics of STIS that enabled a broad survey like ASTRAL; progress in the program to date; and prospects for the future.

Few undertakings in the history of humanity can compare to the great technological achievement known as Project Apollo. Among those who witnessed Armstrong#s flickering television image were thousands of people who had directly contributed to this historic moment. Amongst those in this vast anonymous cadre were the personnel of the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas. SESL houses two large thermal-vacuum chambers with solar simulation capabilities. At a time when NASA engineers had a limited understanding of the effects of extremes of space on hardware and crews, SESL was designed to literally create the conditions of space on Earth. With interior dimensions of 90 feet in height and a 55-foot diameter, Chamber A dwarfed the Apollo command/service module (CSM) it was constructed to test. The chamber#s vacuum pumping capacity of 1 x 10(exp -6) torr can simulate an altitude greater than 130 miles above the Earth. A "lunar plane" capable of rotating a 150,000-pound test vehicle 180 deg replicates the revolution of a craft in space. To reproduce the temperature extremes of space, interior chamber walls cool to -280F as two banks of carbon arc modules simulate the unfiltered solar light/heat of the Sun. With capabilities similar to that of Chamber A, early Chamber B tests included the Gemini modular maneuvering unit, Apollo EVA mobility unit and the lunar module. Since Gemini astronaut Charles Bassett first ventured into the chamber in 1966, Chamber B has assisted astronauts in testing hardware and preparing them for work in the harsh extremes of space.

The Aerospace technology network of Piemonte represents ˜25% of the italian capacity and handles a comprehensive spectrum of products (aircraft, propulsion, satellites, space station modules, avionics. components, services...). The cooperation between the Comitato Distretto Aerospaziale Piemonte and the European Regional Development Fund 2007-2013 has enabled Regione Piemonte to launch three regional Projects capable to enhance the synergy and competitiveness of the network, among which: STEPS - Sistemi e Tecnologie per l'EsPlorazione Spaziale, a joint development of technologies for robotic and human Space Exploration by 3 large Industries, 27 SMEs, 3 Universities and one public Research Centre. STEPS develops virtual and hardware demonstrators for a range of technologies to do with a Lander's descent and soft landing, and a Rover's surface mobility, of both robotic and manned equipment on Moon and Mars. It also foresees the development of Teleoperations labs and Virtual Reality environments and physical simulations of Moon and Mars surface conditions and ground. Mid-way along STEPS planned development, initial results in several technology domains are available and are presented in this paper.

Alternative computational strategies for the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) have been developed using analysis of geometric manifolds. This approach provides a general framework for performing DFT calculations, and suggests a more efficient implementation of the DFT for applications using iterative transform methods, particularly phase retrieval. The DFT can thus be implemented using fewer operations when compared to the usual DFT counterpart. The software decreases the run time of the DFT in certain applications such as phase retrieval that iteratively call the DFT function. The algorithm exploits a special computational approach based on analysis of the DFT as a transformation in a complex vector space. As such, this approach has the potential to realize a DFT computation that approaches N operations versus Nlog(N) operations for the equivalent Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) calculation.

The complexspace source theory is used to derive a general integral expression for the vector potential that generates the extended full Gaussian wave in terms of the input value of the vector potential of the corresponding paraxial beam. The vector potential and the fields are assumed to fluctuate on a time scale that is large compared to the wave period. The Poynting vector in the propagation direction averaged over a wave period is expressed in terms of the cross-spectral density of the fluctuating vector potential across the input plane. The Schell model is assumed for the cross-spectral density. The radiation intensity distribution and the power radiated are determined. The effect of spatial coherence on the radiation intensity distribution and the radiated power are investigated for different values of the physical parameters. Illustrative numerical results are provided to bring out the effect of spatial coherence on the propagation characteristics of the fluctuating light wave.

The "physics of complexity" in space plasmas is the central theme of this exposition. It is demonstrated that the sporadic and localized interactions of magnetic coherent structures arising from the plasma resonances can be the source for the coexistence of nonpropagating spatiotemporal fluctuations and propagating modes. Non-Gaussian probability distribution functions of the intermittent fluctuations from direct numerical simulations are obtained and discussed. Power spectra and local intermittency measures using the wavelet analyses are presented to display the spottiness of the small-scale turbulent fluctuations and the non-uniformity of coarse-grained dissipation that can lead to magnetic topological reconfigurations. The technique of the dynamic renormalization group is applied to the study of the scaling properties of such type of multiscale fluctuations. Charged particle interactions with both the propagating and nonpropagating portions of the intermittent turbulence are also described.

The Discovery Channel's Liberty Bell 7 Space Capsule Exhibit, which opens to the public at the KSC Visitor Complex on Saturday, June 17, had a preview for the press today. Liberty Bell 7 launched U.S. Air Force Captain Virgil 'Gus' Grissom July 21, 1961, on a mission that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds before sinking. The capsule lay undetected for nearly four decades before a Discovery Channel expedition located it and recovered it. Standing in front of the restored Liberty Bell 7 capsule are (left to right) KSC's Deputy Director Jim Jennings; Gunther Wendt, who worked on the Liberty Bell 7 before its launch; Jim Lewis, who piloted the Hunt Club 1 helicopter that rescued Gus Grissom; and Larry Grissom, brother of Gus Grissom. The space capsule, now restored and preserved, is part of an interactive exhibit touring science centers and museums in 12 cities throughout the United States until 2003. The exhibit also includes hands-on elements such as a capsule simulator, a centrifuge, and ROV pilot.

The Discovery Channel's Liberty Bell 7 Space Capsule Exhibit, which opens to the public at the KSC Visitor Complex on Saturday, June 17, had a preview for the press today. Liberty Bell 7 launched U.S. Air Force Captain Virgil 'Gus' Grissom July 21, 1961, on a mission that lasted 15 minutes and 37 seconds before sinking. The capsule lay undetected for nearly four decades before a Discovery Channel expedition located it and recovered it. Standing in front of the restored Liberty Bell 7 capsule are (left to right) KSC's Deputy Director Jim Jennings; Gunther Wendt, who worked on the Liberty Bell 7 before its launch; Jim Lewis, who piloted the Hunt Club 1 helicopter that rescued Gus Grissom; and Larry Grissom, brother of Gus Grissom. The space capsule, now restored and preserved, is part of an interactive exhibit touring science centers and museums in 12 cities throughout the United States until 2003. The exhibit also includes hands-on elements such as a capsule simulator, a centrifuge, and ROV pilot.

The paper aims to consider the strength gradient force as the dynamic of astrophysical jets, explaining the movement phenomena of astrophysical jets. J. C. Maxwell applied the quaternion analysis to describe the electromagnetic theory. This encourages others to adopt the complex quaternion and octonion to depict the electromagnetic and gravitational theories. In the complex octonion space, it is capable of deducing the field potential, field strength, field source, angular momentum, torque, force and so forth. As one component of the force, the strength gradient force relates to the gradient of the norm of field strength only, and is independent of not only the direction of field strength but also the mass and electric charge for the test particle. When the strength gradient force is considered as the thrust of the astrophysical jets, one can deduce some movement features of astrophysical jets, including the bipolarity, matter ingredient, precession, symmetric distribution, emitting, collimation, stability, continuing acceleration and so forth. The above results reveal that the strength gradient force is able to be applied to explain the main mechanical features of astrophysical jets, and is the competitive candidate of the dynamic of astrophysical jets.

Altering biological processes with small synthetic molecules is a general approach for the design of drugs and molecular probes. Medicinal chemistry and chemical biology are focused predominately on the design of organic molecules, whereas inorganic compounds find applications mainly for their reactivity (e.g. cisplatin as a DNA-reactive therapeutic) or imaging properties (e.g. gadolinium complexes as MRI diagnostics). In such inorganic pharmaceuticals or probes, coordination chemistry in the biological environment or at the target site lies at the heart of their modes of action. However, past and very recent results suggest that it is also worth exploring a different aspect of metal complexes: their ability to form structures with unique and defined shapes for the design of 'organic-like' small-molecule probes and drugs. In such metal-organic compounds, the metal has the main purpose to organize the organic ligands in three-dimensional space. It is likely that such an approach will complement the molecular diversity of organic chemistry in the quest for the discovery of compounds with superior biological activities.

The International Space Station Medical Projects (ISSMP) Element provides planning, integration, and implementation services for HRP research studies for both spaceflight and flight analog research. Through the implementation of these two efforts, ISSMP offers an innovative way of guiding research decisions to meet the unique challenges of understanding the human risks to space exploration. Flight services provided by ISSMP include leading informed consent briefings, developing and validating in-flight crew procedures, providing ISS crew and ground-controller training, real-time experiment monitoring, on-orbit experiment and hardware operations and facilitating data transfer to investigators. For analog studies at the NASA Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), the ISSMP team provides subject recruitment and screening, science requirements integration, data collection schedules, data sharing agreements, mission scenarios and facilities to support investigators. The ISSMP also serves as the HRP interface to external analog providers including the :envihab bed rest facility (Cologne, Germany), NEK isolation chamber (Moscow, Russia) and the Antarctica research stations. Investigators working in either spaceflight or analog environments requires a coordinated effort between NASA and the investigators. The interdisciplinary nature of both flight and analog research requires investigators to be aware of concurrent research studies and take into account potential confounding factors that may impact their research objectives. Investigators must define clear research requirements, participate in Investigator Working Group meetings, obtain human use approvals, and provide study-specific training, sample and data collection and procedures all while adhering to schedule deadlines. These science requirements define the technical, functional and performance operations to meet the research objectives. The ISSMP maintains an expert team of professionals with the knowledge and

ASTRIUM is preparing the development of a safe and passenger friendly Suborbital Spaceplane, taking off and landing from a standard runway, powered by turbofans and using a rocket engine of proven design to reach 100 km altitude. This vehicle will be able to carry paying passengers to the edge of space and return them safely to their starting point. As a very new potentially adjacent B2C market, Astrium had decided at the beginning of this project to first conduct a full market analysis with the support of a worldwide survey based Research Company (IPSOS) in order to assess reality and credibility of this market. Two campaigns have been done, the first one in 2007 and the second one in 2010 after the international financial crisis. Last one has been also the opportunity to optimize quality of models by focusing in Asia region. This article describes the methodology used for this survey and unveils some results in term of size of this market and typology of the customers.

The CELSS Breadboard Project is described, noting that it was initiated to study aspects of a CELSS for long-term space missions. Topics for extensive investigation included air and water regeneration, engineering control, and food production. The many options available for growing food crops in commercial plant growth chambers were investigated and the best of this information was translated to the Biomass Production Chamber (BPC). The chamber contains 20 sq m of crop growing area under 96 400 W HPS lamps; sixteen 0.25 sq m plant growth trays used on each of four growing shelves for a total of 64 trays; and one 256-L nutrient solution reservoir with the appropriate continuous-flow, thin-film plumbing for each shelf. A heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system maintains atmospheric conditions and serves to distribute oxygen and carbon dioxide and maintain pressure at 12 mm of water. The control and monitoring subsystem, which uses a programmable logic controller, manages the BPC subsystems.

This paper presents a wide framework for non-linear online supervised learning tasks in the context of complex valued signal processing. The (complex) input data are mapped into a complex reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS), where the learning phase is taking place. Both pure complex kernels and real kernels (via the complexification trick) can be employed. Moreover, any convex, continuous and not necessarily differentiable function can be used to measure the loss between the output of the specific system and the desired response. The only requirement is the subgradient of the adopted loss function to be available in an analytic form. In order to derive analytically the subgradients, the principles of the (recently developed) Wirtinger's calculus in complex RKHS are exploited. Furthermore, both linear and widely linear (in RKHS) estimation filters are considered. To cope with the problem of increasing memory requirements, which is present in almost all online schemes in RKHS, the sparsification scheme, based on projection onto closed balls, has been adopted. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in a non-linear channel identification task, a non-linear channel equalization problem and a quadrature phase shift keying equalization scheme, using both circular and non circular synthetic signal sources.

The Exhibition "Space Science: Part and Future" in Space Research Institute (IKI) was opened in 2007 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first man-made satellite launch. It covers the latest and the most important findings in space research, shows instruments which are used in space exploration, and presents past, current, and future Russian science missions. Prototypes of space instruments developed by Russian specialists and mockups of spacecraft and spaceships flown to space are displayed, together with information posters, describing space missions, their purposes and results. The Exhibition takes a great part in school space education. Its stuff actively works with schoolchildren, undergraduate students and also makes a great contribution in popularization of space researches. Moreover the possibility to learn about scientific space researches first-hand is priceless. We describe the main parts of the Exhibition and forms of it work and also describe the collaboration with other museums and educational organizations.

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) has an agreement with China National Offshore Oil Corporation New Energy Investment Company, Ltd. (CNOOC), under the United States-China EcoPartnerships Framework, to create a bi-national entity seeking to develop technically feasible and economically viable solutions to energy and environmental issues. Advanced batteries have been identified as one of the initial areas targeted for collaborations. CWRU invited NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) personnel from the Electrochemistry Branch to CWRU to discuss various aspects of advanced battery development as they might apply to this partnership. Topics discussed included: the process for the selection of a battery chemistry; the establishment of an integrated development program; project management/technical interactions; new technology developments; and synergies between batteries for automotive and space operations. Additional collaborations between CWRU and NASA GRC's Electrochemistry Branch were also discussed.

The concept of a superposition is a revolutionary novelty introduced by Quantum Mechanics. If a system may be in any one of two pure states x and y, we must consider that it may also be in any one of many superpositions of x and y. An in-depth analysis of superpositions is proposed, in which states are represented by one-dimensional subspaces, not by unit vectors as in Dirac’s notation. Superpositions must be considered when one cannot distinguish between possible paths, i.e., histories, leading to the current state of the system. In such a case the resulting state is some compound of the states that result from each of the possible paths. States can be compounded, i.e., superposed in such a way only if they are not orthogonal. Since different classical states are orthogonal, the claim implies no non-trivial superpositions can be observed in classical systems. The parameter that defines such compounds is a proportion defining the mix of the different states entering the compound. Two quantities, p and θ, both geometrical in nature, relate one-dimensional subspaces in complex Hilbert spaces: the first one is a measure of proximity relating two rays, the second one is an angle relating three rays. The properties of superpositions with respect to those two quantities are studied. The algebraic properties of the operation of superposition are very different from those that govern linear combination of vectors.

The SWANS (Space Weather and Navigation Systems) research and development project (http://swans.meteo.be) is an initiative of the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) under the auspices of the Belgian Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence (STCE). The RMI SWANS objectives are: research on space weather and its effects on GNSS applications; permanent mon-itoring of the local/regional geomagnetic and ionospheric activity; and development/operation of relevant nowcast, forecast, and alert services to help professional GNSS/GALILEO users in mitigating space weather effects. Several SWANS developments have already been implemented and available for use. The K-LOGIC (Local Operational Geomagnetic Index K Calculation) system is a nowcast system based on a fully automated computer procedure for real-time digital magnetogram data acquisition, data screening, and calculating the local geomagnetic K index. Simultaneously, the planetary Kp index is estimated from solar wind measurements, thus adding to the service reliability and providing forecast capabilities as well. A novel hybrid empirical model, based on these ground-and space-based observations, has been implemented for nowcasting and forecasting the geomagnetic index, issuing also alerts whenever storm-level activity is indicated. A very important feature of the nowcast/forecast system is the strict control on the data input and processing, allowing for an immediate assessment of the output quality. The purpose of the LIEDR (Local Ionospheric Electron Density Reconstruction) system is to acquire and process data from simultaneous ground-based GNSS TEC and digital ionosonde measurements, and subsequently to deduce the vertical electron density distribution. A key module is the real-time estimation of the ionospheric slab thickness, offering additional infor-mation on the local ionospheric dynamics. The RTK (Real Time Kinematic) status mapping provides a quick look at the small-scale ionospheric effects on the RTK

The municipality of Amsterdam wishes to reduce the level of car traffic within the City Centre. As a consequence the public transport is to be extended by a new (bored) North/South Metro line. The excavation depths for the stations will exceed 30 m and will be constructed in difficult soft soil conditions. A further significant aspect is that the building pits are very near (3 to 5 m) to buildings of historical importance. The design philosophy of the station boxes was to determine an acceptable balance between the safety requirements and construction costs. The guidelines for the design, both for the building pits and the bored tunnel, are the predicted deformations of the adjacent building foundations. One of the more important geotechnical risks for this project is incorrect determination of the deformations arising from the building processes alongside the route of the metro. As such it should be realised that advanced finite element programs with second order material models require different geotechnical parameters than analytical models. The careful selection of calculation (soil) models, the level of safety (risk analysis), and site investigation is the start of the determination of the geotechnical parameters. This paper will focus on the interpretation of the site investigation for this complexproject and will concentrate on the process followed, the problems encountered with the interpretation, the obtained results, and the used tools for geotechnical risk management.

A number of transportation and propulsion options for Mars exploration missions are analyzed. As part of Project Outreach, RAND received and evaluated 350 submissions in the launch vehicle, space transportation, and propulsion areas. After screening submissions, aggregating those that proposed identical or nearly identical concepts, and eliminating from further consideration those that violated known physical princples, we had reduced the total number of viable submissions to 213. In order to avoid comparing such disparate things as launch vehicles and electric propulsion systems, six broad technical areas were selected to categorize the submissions: space transportation systems; earth-to-orbit (ETO) launch systems; chemical propulsion; nuclear propulsion; low-thrust propulsion; and other. To provide an appropriate background for analyzing the submissions, an extensive survey was made of the various technologies relevant to the six broad areas listed above. We discuss these technologies with the intent of providing the reader with an indication of the current state of the art, as well as the advances that might be expected within the next 10 to 20 years.

Building a starship within the next 100 years is an audacious goal. To be successful, we need sustained funding that may be difficult to maintain in the face of economic challenges that are poised to arise during these next 100 years. Our species' civilization has only recently reached the classification as (approximately) Type-I on the Kardashev scale; that is, we have spread out from one small locality to become a global species mastering the energy and resources of an entire planet. In the process we discovered the profound truth that the two-dimensional surface of our world is not flat, but has positive curvature and is closed so that its area and resources are finite. It should come as no surprise to a Type I civilization when its planet's resources dWindle; how could they not? Yet we have gone year by year, government by government, making little investment for the time when civilization becomes violent in the unwelcome contractions that must follow, when we are forced too late into the inevitable choice: to remain and diminish on an unhappy world; or to expand into the only dimension remaining perpendicularly outward from the surface into space. Then some day we may become a Type-II civilization, mastering the resources of an entire solar system. Our species cannot continue as we have on this planet for another 100 years. Doubtless it falls on us today, the very time we intended to start building a starship, to make the late choice. We wished this century to be filled with enlightenment and adventure; it could be an age of desperation and war. What a time to begin an audacious project in space! How will we maintain consistent funding for the next 100 years? Fortunately, saving a civilization, mastering a solar system, and doing other great things like building starships amount to mostly the same set of tasks. Recognizing what we must be about during the next 100 years will make it possible to do them all.

Technological infrastructures in space and on ground provide services on which modern society and economies rely. Space weather related research is funded under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP7) of the European Union in response to the need of protecting such critical infrastructures from the damage which could be caused by extreme space weather events. The calls for proposals published under the topic "Security of space assets from space weather events" of the FP7 Space Theme aimed to improve forecasts and predictions of disruptive space weather events as well as identify best practices to limit the impacts on space- and ground-based infrastructures and their data provision. Space weather related work was also funded under the topic "Exploitation of space science and exploration data", which aims to add value to space missions and Earth-based observations by contributing to the effective scientific exploitation of collected data. Since 2007 a total of 20 collaborative projects have been funded, covering a variety of physical phenomena associated with space weather, from ionospheric disturbances and scintillation, to geomagnetically induced currents at Earth's surface, to coronal mass ejections and solar energetic particles. This article provides an overview of the funded projects, touching upon some results and referring to specific websites for a more exhaustive description of the projects' outcomes.

An eight-year project--Project SACI--begun in 1969 is introducing technology into Brazil's educational system. It is based upon the hypotheses that technology can deliver education to more students, increase achievement, and provide cost-effective teacher education. To rest these hypotheses, Project SACI aims to bring satellite transmission of…

Presentation topics include: importance of salinity of coastal waters, habitat switching algorithm, habitat switching module, salinity estimates from Landsat for Sabine Calcasieu Basin, percent of time inundated in 2006, salinity data, prototyping the system, system as packaged for field tests, salinity probe and casing, opening for water flow, cellular antenna used to transmit data, preparing to launch, system is launched in the Pearl River at Stennis Space Center, data are transmitted to Twitter by cell phone modem every 15 minutes, Google spreadsheet I used to import the data from the Twitter feed and to compute salinity (from conductivity) and display charts of salinity and temperature, results are uploaded to NASA's Applied Science and Technology Project Office Webpage.

A QTAIM and Stress tensor eigenvector projection Uσ space formalism has been used to provide a detailed description of the participation of each of the bonds of the four infrared active normal modes of benzene. Analysis of the maximum Uσ space trajectory projections revealed a mixture of Csbnd C and Csbnd H bonding characteristics. The four infrared active Uσ space trajectories were found to be unique. The normal mode with the highest infrared intensity was the only mode with non-zero maximum Uσ space trajectory projections in the most preferred and least preferred directions for the Csbnd C and Csbnd H bond critical points respectively.

Learning Activity Packages (LAP) relating to the earth and space are presented for use in sampling a new type of learning for a whole year. Eighteen topics are incorporated into five units: (1) introduction to individualized learning, (2) observation versus interpretation, (3) chemistry in the space age, (4) the space age interdisciplines, and (5)…

In this paper, the complexprojective synchronization in drive-response stochastic coupled networks with complex-variable systems and linear coupling time delays are considered. The pinning control scheme are adopted to achieve complexprojective synchronization and several simple and practical sufficient conditions are obtained in a general drive-response network. In addition, the adaptive feedback algorithms are proposed to adjust the control strength. Several numerical simulations are provided to show the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed methods.